Metastability
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: When he was pulled into the ocean, he found himself falling. When he landed, he found himself fighting. When everything stopped, he found himself hurting. When he stopped hurting, he found himself questioning everything. Who was that girl that looked like Carolina? And why does she keep calling him "Jaune?"
1. Chapter 1

_"The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." -Monty Oum_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 1: Mental Meta Metal

"Augh... Ahh... Hey Meta... Settle a bet, would you? Does that thing kind of look like a big cat to you?"

The hulking figure clad in white armor turned his head to his left to see what the red armored man in his hand was babbling about. He saw two more armor clad idiots, one fat in orange armor while the other was slim in maroon armor. They were both pushing a large military class vehicle known as a Warthog to the side of the snowy cliff.

"C'mon!" the maroon armored soldier shouted. "Push, Grif!"

"I AM PUSHING! DON'T RUSH ME!"

Quickly the Meta looked down. Attached to his breastplate was a hook. Attached to said hook was a steel wire. He followed it, and let out a hiss of horror. It was attached to the Warthog that was about to be pushed off the cliff. By then it is too late. Simmons and Grif shove the jeep right over the edge, and just as the cable tightened, Sarge grabbed the capture unit from the Meta's back. As the Meta was thrown off his feet, Sarge fell to the ground and the unit rolled up, landing next to blue-armored soldiers. With a roar of terror, the Meta is dragged along the ground towards the cliff, his arms he was dragged across the snowy ground, he grabbed the leg of the fat, orange soldier. Either out of an act of desperation or to drag the idiot along with him, he wasn't sure anymore.

"Waaaaaah!"

The maroon soldier, Simmons, whipped his head around and lunged for his friend. "Grif!" Just as they reached the edge, Simmons dived forward and grabbed Grif's outstretched hand. The sudden stop causes the Meta to lose his grip. His body went right over the edge, the wire pulling him away and dragging him down. Was that it? Defeated by a bunch of simulation troopers? Though Sigma was long gone, he could still feel it. The red flames enraptured around a figure, eyes cold and calculating while watching. He could feel his gaze boring into him. Life-signs flashed across the bio readings in the helmet, though it was of no use now. Unless he could somehow fly, he wasn't getting out of this.

 _'Distance to impact, twenty meters.'_ came the automatic reply of his armor's warning system, though it fell on deaf ears.

What little was left of the man they called Agent Maine recalled his life up to this point. He remembered being the good soldier he was, working for Director Church and the others. He remembered meeting that upstart faker called Texas. He remembered the mission where his throat was pumped full of lead. He remembered Carolina giving him Sigma in order to communicate. After that...things became murky. Faces of people he knew, used to know, didn't know, flashed by. Blood was streaked across their armor and helmets, their bodies left limp. His own white armor was splattered with blood. After meeting Sigma, it seemed like his life from there got dark, like he couldn't remember the details. The only thing he remembered were those voices...echoing and screaming and whispering to his ear.

 **Take it**

 **Kill them**

 **Get them**

 **Take their AI**

 **Make us whole**

 **Be human**

 **Be complete**

 **Take it from them**

 _'Distance to impact, ten meters.'_

What...what happened to him...? So many voices in his head. So many, each one speaking to him before their voices blurred into noise. Was this...was this all he was reduced to?Before, he was Agent Maine, given a new life by the Director when he had nothing...now it was all gone. His life. His friends. His family...all gone...He was no longer Maine...only the shell of the Meta.

Wait...did he even have a family anymore? It was so hard to think...all he could think about, even now, was taking the Alpha AI. Leonard L. Church. Epsilon. If he could take it...he would be human.

 _'Distance to impact, five meters.'_

...He WOULD be human...right? Wait...why did he need an AI to be human again? Wasn't he already one? He couldn't think right. All he heard were the whispers. All around him, he saw them. The AIs he took. Sigma. Theta. Omega. Beta. Gamma. Delta. Eta. Iota. They were surrounding him, staring at him. Whispering. Shouting. Screaming. Telling him things that only made him more and more confused, irritated, angry, and everything else.

What was going on? How was this happening? How could he have lost? Did he lose? Wait, what was happening to him? Oh, right. He was falling. A red simulation trooper hooked him to a jeep and he went over the edge. He looked up. There was an orange simulation trooper hanging from the edge, clinging to something desperately. He thought he recognized the soldier, but the thought vanished as soon as it came. He didn't care at this point. His eyes then fell to what the sim was holding on to, and grew angered. What the hell? Why did he have his weapon?! When did he grab it?! Then he remembered again. He stabbed it into the wall to prevent him from falling when the ice started to collapse during his battle with Texas.

...wait, what? Texas? Who was that? Was it the black armored soldier he was fighting? His head was growing more and more rattled. What little was left of Agent Maine was beginning to feel it. Everything.

It terrified him.

 _'Distance to impact, five meters.'_ the alert told him. Then, it said something strange. _'Time Distortion Unit now active.'_

Time Distortion? How was that possible?! He couldn't activate it without an AI, and he didn't even initiate it in the first place! Was it a glitch?

 _'Time Distortion Unit activating.'_

This was bad...Sigma or any of the AIs he took weren't here! He didn't have that faker's AI either! If the unit activated now, he was going to die! Then again...he was dead anyway. It was just the matter of whether or not it was him hitting ice cold water or the stress of the enhancement killing him.

He was now just a second away from crashing into the freezing ocean. Looks like this was it...he was going to die.

 _'Time Distortion unit active, transporting now.'_

...wait...TRANSPORT?! This made no sense! The Time Distortion Unit was made to slow down the flow of time around the user, not transport them from place to place! This confusion gave way to relief, but then...nothingness. Why was he even thinking about this? His survival was all that was needed. If this transportation function saved his life, he could chase down the Alpha and the fake Beta units.

The last thing that the Meta, Agent Maine, felt when he hit the cold water was still nothingness.

* * *

"...an energy fluctuation? At the Forever Fall forest?"

Glynda nodded. "Yes, Ozpin. It's strange, no doubt. Bartholomew only picked up on it by pure accident, since it was so low. In honesty, I have no idea what it is." She pulled up her Scroll, and showed the statistics. "It grows, then drops, and then spikes up again. Almost at random. We've pinpointed it to near the entrance to the Forever Fall forest."

"I see..." The headmaster of Beacon Academy rested his chin on his folded hands. This was a strange phenomenon. Energy Fluctuations do not simply occur naturally, especially in Forever Fall of all places.

He leaned back, crinkling his brown in thought. "Which teams are available to investigate among the second years?"

"Team CFVY had left not too long ago, and they were the best in their standing," the blonde teacher responded. "If need be, we can ask one of the first year teams."

Ozpin gave a nod. "Very well...please send for Miss Rose and Miss Nikos," he said, causing Glynda's eyes to widen. RWBY, he could understand...but why that team? She knew he had not forgotten what had befell them recently...so what was going through his mind? "We'll have them investigate the energy fluctuation, if they accept."

"Sir...are you sure that's a good idea? After all, they haven't..."

"I am well aware...I'm simply hoping that it can help put their minds away from that," he said wistfully before closing his eyes. "At least, that is what I wish for."

* * *

When the Meta woke up, he found himself surrounded by red.

It wasn't red from his own blood. No...he saw red because that was the color of the foliage all round him. From the grass, to the bushes, as well as the leaves on the tree. As he lay there, the leaves fell, mimicking the visual of falling red snow. He let out a hiss as he slowly rose to his feet, holding his armored head in his hand. What happened...where was this place? He remembered that the Time Displacement Unit had activated suddenly, and that he was being transported...but this scenery was unfamiliar. What planet was he on? No, that wasn't important.

Where was the Alpha AI?

His head turned as he scanned his surroundings, trying to get a read on his motion sensor. But he found nothing. Only static. Growling in annoyance, the former Freelancer trudged on through the forest, completely intent on finding the Alpha and obtaining it. If he had it...he will finally be complete. He will be powerful. He will be whole.

He will be human.

The thoughts in his head outweighed the vestiges that was left. He doubted there was anything left of him anyway...not until he found the AI. However, as he moved through the forest, he was hit with a sense of nostalgia. He was confused. He had never been to this place before, yet it felt so familiar. He looked around, finding the scenery to be almost calm...yet he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. His hand moved to his waist, only to stop the motion. There was nothing on that side of his body, except maybe ammunition. Strange. An abnormality that needed to be corrected. He felt slightly irritated when his hand moved behind his back, only to find his Bruteshot missing. He then remembered that it was in the hands of that orange simulation trooper.

When he finds his way back, he will snap that bastard's neck and take back his weapon. Odd as it was, he felt naked without it.

 _'Motion detected,'_ the warning system in his suit announced. His motion tracker went wild, showing several moving figures. He looked around, finding the brush to be rustling. Red eyes peered out from the darkness, followed by the sound of howling and growls. He let out a hiss, and turned to face whatever was coming to face him. Something in the back of his mind recognized such animosity. A part of him even welcomed it. When the movement came closer, he rammed his fist into his palm, cracking his neck and knuckles. Any obstacle in his way would be eliminated.

Then, they emerged. He recognized them almost immediately, despite having never seen such creatures before. They were bipedal, shaped like wolves. Their fur was pitch black, with smoke rising up from around their bodies, almost like vapor. Their claws were long, curved, and sharp. Obviously made for slicing through armor and skin alike. Their heads were narrow, shielded by white bone in the shape of a skull. Red vertical lines followed symmetrically around its face, while bloody red eyes peered out with hate and hunger. In its jaws were two rows of sharp fangs that could bite into flesh and rip apart easily. They were many such creatures, moving out and leaping into the clearing.

Beowolves, he recalled. The most common of Grimm. He didn't question why he knew what they were, or what species they belonged to. He only knew that they were enemies...and they were going to be eliminated.

One Beowolf let out a cry and lunged at him. He gave a hiss, and lashed his arm out. Easily, he grabbed the creature by it's neck. It was broad, armed by strong muscle, yet that muscle quivered beneath the grip. Already, the creature felt its breath being strangled. In seconds, one could hear bones creaking. The Meta growled, and lifted the black monster up further, and slammed it back down to the ground. The force of the impact, along with the grip, caused its neck to shatter, killing it instantly.

Another Beowolf tried to flank him after it killed its comrade, but Maine saw it coming due to his motion sensor, and spun around, ramming his elbow into the creature's face. He then grabbed it by the arms and smashed it into the body of another Beowolf that was about to pounce. Another rushed right at him in the front. Once it was close enough, the former freelancer tumbled backward and kicked the Grimm into the air once it was above him.

Without losing momentum, he whirled around, and delivered a solid roundhouse punch once it was in front of him. Its body smashed into another one of its comrades, though the Meta wasn't about to let it go with just a punch. With incredible speed, he rushed up, and delivered a lariat to its midsection, catching both Grimm in his strike, and threw them further away, crashing into a tree. They broke apart into black wisps, signifying their death.

The other Beowolves let out a growl of rage. Meanwhile, he stood among the center of his carnage, and glared at them from beneath his helmet. He gave a hiss, and clenched his fists.

By the time he was done, every last one of them was going to be nothing but black mud on his boots.

* * *

The ride on the VTOL was quiet. More so than what Ruby would have liked. Yang and Nora had tried to strike up a conversation, but it failed. Miserably. Weiss had busied herself by reading a book, as had Blake and Red, though the blonde and chipper-haired hammer-wielding girl were uncomfortable with the silence as much as she was. Pyrrha stared out the window, a listless look on her face.

The red hooded girl couldn't blame her friends for the silence. The somber atmosphere was to be expected. After all...it hasn't been that long since they all lost Jaune.

Even now, the incident was still unknown. The members of NPR refused to talk about it, no matter what they tried. She understood how they felt. She lost her mother after all, so she knew how bad the pain was. Red had remained passive, but even she could tell how much he was hurting. Nora had cried for days on end. Pyrrha...well, she didn't know. She tried to hide it, but the subtle hints in her body language told her everything. To this day, they still knew nothing. They never said anything, either. She wanted to respect their privacy.

Hopefully, Ozpin was right in that it would help distract them. Deciding to break away from the gloomy atmosphere, she turned to her partner. "S-so...what do you think this whole energy going out of whack thing is about?"

"That's why we're out here," she responded. "To investigate."

"I-I know that, I'm just asking what you think."

"I don't know, Ruby..." The heiress shook her head. "There's a lot of things it could be. Dust exploding at random intervals, new emergence of Grimm activity...though I doubt it's one of those two."

The girl blinked and cocked her head. "Why's that?"

"For one thing, the energy reading that Professor Ozpin told us was unlike either scenario. The magnitude was just too great. That," she continued. "And the way it kept fluctuating was too abnormal. If I were to take a guess...it's malfunctioning equipment." She paused, then placed a hand to her chin. "Though I wonder what kind of machinery can make energy signals like that."

"Well, we'll find out once we get there," Yang said, now listening to the conversation. "You think we'll find some Grimm?"

Ren shrugged. "Who can say?" he said before looking at the red-haired girl beside him. "Pyrrha," he said, gently tapping her, causing her to blink and turn to him. "It's almost time to head out. You ready?"

"E-eh?" she said, obviously not paying attention. She gave a brief nod. "Yeah...sorry. I'm just preoccupied is all."

"I know...I just want to make sure you are still with us." The teen from Mistral spoke softly.

Nora nodded in agreement. "C'mon Pyrrha, get with the program!" she said with a wide grin. "You know what that song says! "Wake up, get up, get out there!" So lets get out there and break some legs!"

"What is it with you and breaking legs anyway?!" Weiss asked, clearly baffled. Ruby let out a weak chuckle. After so long, now she asks that question? "Can't you think of anything else?!"

"Yes I can! Like pancakes! ...and Renny too!" She paused, then added. "But not that way! We're friends!"

For the first time in a while, Pyrrha smiled. "Alright, enough you two," she said, some mirth in her voice. "Ren's right. We're almost at the drop point. Let's get ready."

Team RWBY, as well as those from NPR, smiled. Finally, she was acting like her old self again. How long was the question though? Maybe this mission would do them some good after all.

* * *

The Beowolves were afraid of him now.

In only ten minutes, he managed to kill so many of their kind with his bare hands. He didn't even show any sign of exhaustion. He simply stood tall and ready over piles of smoking corpses and black mud, awaiting more foes to fight. The Meta just glared at them all, challenging them as the ever imposing figure his opponents made him out to be.

If they wanted to get in his way to find the Alpha? Then fine. He would raze all of them to the ground.

These appeared to be the last of them, given that his tracker showed no signs of any new enemy. With that in mind, he rushed in towards the first of his last targets. The Beowolf let out a roar, knowing that it would not make it out of this fight alive, and ran straight at him. It tried to bite off his head, but he evaded at the last second, letting it fly over his shoulder. His arm lashed out, grabbing it by the ankle, and throwing it to the side. It skidded across the earth, scratching its claws against dirt before it lunged at him again. A fist struck it across the cheek, sending it back to the ground.

He then grabbed the beast by the throat and lifted it up. He used his other hand to grab onto the upper part of its snout and ripped it off. Black blood splattered across his armor, staining it further. It let out a wine, clawing to get out. He glared back at it, growling before throwing it to the ground. Before it had the chance to get away, he lifted up his boot, and slammed it straight on its skull. The head gave in from the strength of the boot, leaving only black mush. Its body began to break down into black mist shortly afterward. Grunting in satisfaction, Maine turned his attention to the second.

It took one look at him before it turned around and ran for its life. The Meta gave a hiss, and charged after it. There was no way he was going to let it get away. Nothing would escape him. Nothing would hinder him. Any and all threats that would prevent him from reaching metastability would be eliminated. No exceptions.

In a matter of seconds, he caught up to the fleeing beast. He leaped and tackled the Beowolf to the ground. The two rolled before Maine rolled on top of it and proceeded to beat it to death with two, heavy fists.

More black stains appeared on his armor, and staining the ground. The creature let out a whine, but he didn't relent. He continued to pummel it until it was nothing but black paste. Each strike thudded against the ground, and black muck bloodied his hands. Had anyone seen him, one might have thought him to be some sort of homicidal maniac who liked to rip and tear apart any poor unfortunate Grimm in his path. He delivered three final strikes. The first destroyed whatever was left of the mashed up head of the poor creature. The second broke the ground apart. The third was a hammer strike with both hands clasped. It left behind a small crater in its wake, destroying bits of earth.

The Meta growled, relishing the kill. His target was finally eliminated. However...he still had no idea where he was. Wherever his unit had brought him, there had to be some kind of intelligent life. He needed information. All he needed was to find the nearest terminal, look for the nearest planet that had any sort of connection to the Alpha, or those simulation troopers, or at the very least contact the Director, and find the Alpha. It would be easy. However, as he rose to his feet, his motion tracker went off. There were new targets, counting four in all.

They were right in front of him.

* * *

"What the heck is that thing supposed to be?" came Yang's blunt and obvious question when they encountered the white armored figure.

They had arrived in the Forever Fall forest only a few short moments ago, and already they saw the black smoking remains of Grimm rising from the air. Whenever Grimm die, they vaporize into black mist, which proceeds to rise into the air, providing the illusion of it being a smoke signal or something along those lines. They followed it, believing that someone was combating the Grimm in the area, and perhaps having information on whatever was causing that energy flux.

What they found was...a disturbing sight.

The armored figure was on top of a Beowolf, continuously pounding away at its head with his fists, refusing to relent for even a moment. Even when the Grimm's head was mashed up to the point of being a black paste, he still continued. He kept punching until there was nothing left of it.

The armor was high advanced, and quite bulky. Its helmet was mostly a golden visor that covered the top of the head, with only the rear and jawline covered by the white armor. Eventually, it had ceased beating the ever loving hell out of the Beowolf, or what was left of it, and let out a low growl. It sent shivers down the Huntress' and Huntsman's spine. It sounded like the growl of a predator after having taken its pray. Slowly, the armored figure stood up to its feet. However, its head jerked upward.

Ruby let out a small inaudible squeak. She felt the eyes of whoever was underneath that helmet glaring back at them. "U-um...hello," she said with a quiet voice, afraid of the man before her. "A-are you...a Huntsman?"

"He looks Altesian, going by the armor," Weiss supplemented. She wasn't sure why, but the figure before her sent shivers down her spine. "I've never seen armor like that before...but he's quite the brute."

Yang could only nod in agreement. While she certainly had given brutal deaths to the creatures of Grimm, she had never seen quite the brutality that was displayed before her. No, it wasn't brutality...it was animalistic rage tuned up to eleven. A creature acting on impulse. "So...who wants to talk to tall, dark, and creepy?" she asked. "I dunno about you guys...but he is SERIOUSLY creeping me the hell out."

The armored figure did not make a response, as he stared silently at the group. Eerie silence continued.

"See?!" Yang emphasized her point.

Blake, sensing the danger, cautiously slid her hand down towards Gambal Shroud. The others were slowly reaching for their weapons as well, in case things went hairy. "Um, hello there," Ruby said slowly, her smile shaky as she slowly inched towards the man. "M-my name's Ruby. Me and m-my friends are investigating something weird here. H-have you seen anything we-"

That was as far as she got before she found a fist colliding with her face, and throwing her past her teammates. "RUBY!" Her friends cried in horror as the young girl smashed into a tree. She grunted before falling flat on the ground. Yang turned to face the attacker, her eyes red with rage. "You Bastard!" She rushed in for a straight punch to the face. But as soon as she was close enough, the armored man grabbed her fist in a single hand and applied pressure to his grip, slowly crushing her hand. He then twisted her arm into a painful angle without so much as reacting.

Yang let out a pained cry. If it weren't for her Aura, her hand would have been crushed, and her bones snapped. However, the armored figure obviously had no intentions of letting her go as he pulled his arm back. A strike was delivered, and she was sent flying. She quickly regained her balance and skidded to a stop, grinding Ember Celica to stop her retreat. She winced, feeling her arm aching. The grip was worse than a vice, like her hand was caught in something a thousand times stronger than a grinder. It felt like he was trying to crush it. She looked up, and found the armored figure slowly walking toward her, cracking its shoulders, neck, and knuckles. The gesture was clear. It was looking forward to this.

"Yang, you okay?!" Weiss shouted, whipping out her weapon. "Hold on, we're-"

"No, check up on Ruby!" she shouted. "Blake, go get Pyrrha and the others!" She stepped back up to her feet. Her blonde hair was set aflame, red eyes burning with them, and smashed her fists together. "This guy is all mine!"

* * *

Strange...that punch should have knocked her head clean off. The Meta stared at the blonde woman in confusion before clenching his fist. Nothing seemed wrong with his strength, and going by the readings on his biometric readings, all the natural enhancements were working perfectly...so what went wrong? Well, not that it mattered. It must have meant that she was stronger than the average obstacle. He turned his attention to the other females. It seemed that the blonde had tasked with with looking after the first female he struck, and the other went off to get help.

Useless. It wouldn't have mattered. He couldn't be stopped. Not here. Not when he had an AI to find and take. Once more, he found himself surrounded by the phantoms of the AIs he had taken.

 **"Go on,"** Sigma urged, a cold smile veiled by the red flames cloaking his body. **"Take it."**

Those words set something off inside of him. A growl rumbled from his throat, and he once again cracked his joints, stalking towards her. Yes, that was right...he had to take it. The AI. Anyone who stopped him was an enemy.

She was no different.

[Play - Red vs Blue OST: Extraction]

The blonde female struck first. Her hair began to glow as if set on fire, and her lilac eyes became bloody red. Her weapons, which were golden bracers, covered her hands and turning them into gauntlets. She then fell into a stance. Going by her form, she specialized in close quarters combat. He also took note of the red shells he spotted around her wrist, hidden by her weapons. A firing mechanism. Interesting. He would have to look into her weapons, and perhaps take them, if only to substitute for the loss of his Brute Shot.

Yang threw two punches, each one shooting out a shot gun blast. The projectiles impacted the Meta's body, but like the red simulation trooper's shotgun blasts, they had little effect on his armor's overshield. Using her moment of hesitation from this discovery, he charged straight at her. Yang was quick to dodge the first blow, and followed with a jab to the head. It didn't even faze him, barely tilting his head back. She then threw a hook, striking him in the face once again. Unlike the jab, it had a powerful kick, courtesy of her weapon. It actually stunned him, but only for a few moments. She was about to throw a third strike, but he caught it with ease. Maine delivered an uppercut, disorientating her.

The strike caused her to bite her tongue as her head snapped back. The Meta then grabbed her by one arm and leg and spun around as if he was about to perform a hammer toss. Once he built up enough momentum, he threw the blonde brawler into a tree. The power behind the throw was enough to break the trunk in half.

"Oof!" Yang grunted as she hit the ground. Damn that bastard hit hard! It felt worse than when she was fighting those two twins from Junior's club. She got back to her feet, shaking off the damage and then charging back at him. Because of his attack, she felt her Semblance beginning to kick in. Strength was starting to build up. Now it was time to dish out the damage! "My turn!"

She rushed in again with her fists raised. The Meta fell into a defensive stance of his own to counter her attacks. But he was surprised to learn that the girl's punches were much stronger than before. Was she holding back? Had she taken some kind of supplement? No, unlikely. Her strength was natural, not artificially induced...curious. But overall, worthless. She came in hot for a strike to the side of the head, but he countered, parrying and delivering a jab to her face. She was knocked back, and he continued. He delivered an elbow strike, but Yang countered it. She brought up her arms, defending against the strike, and then delivered a shotgun-powered strike to his chest. He was knocked back a bit, but remained firm.

He was growing tired of this squabble. The longer he stayed and fought her, the longer it would take for him to find the Alpha. If he spent too long, he could lose him entirely. He refused to let that happen!

He hissed as he grabbed one of her fists, and then struck harshly. The first blow came to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The second struck at her solar plexus, causing her to lose strength in her knees. The third made her body go limp, spit flying from her mouth. He clenched his fist, and struck her in the face. Her body slid across the ground, retreating from him until she smacked up against a smalls tone. She let out a groan of pain, feeling her head throbbing along with her stomach as she rolled unto the flat of her chest, and pushed herself up. "W-what?" she asked weakly. She tried to act confident, smirking in spite of her injury. Damn he hit hard. This was gonna be tough. "That the best you-"

She stopped when she saw it. Something floating past down her face. Something that caused her world to screech to a halt.

A strand of hair...her blonde hair.

Suddenly, Maine felt strangely uneasy. There was something wrong. He could feel it. The woman's bangs now covered her hands, fists clenched, and her body shaking. He assumed it was out of fear or resignation, but he knew that wasn't it. Something wasn't right. From here, he felt it. Killing intent. He cautiously slid into a combat stance, waiting for her to strike.

"Y-you...you...!" Yang snapped her head up, and the Meta found himself staring back at what could only be described as the face Agent Carolina had when she was very, VERY pissed. "YOU MONSTEEEER!"

Faster than she ever moved previously, she closed in on the former Freelancer and pounded away with powerful, fury-filled fists. Maine's guard broke as each punch impacted his body. Not even the overshield functions were able to block out the force behind the strikes. With each strike, he found himself staggering back. He felt the momentum of those hits. Confusion and anger formed. What in the hell was this?! Where did she get this strength?! Was she actually holding back?! Why?! What for?! And why did she only now decide to go in full throttle?! What purpose was there?! Did she actually consider him a threat now?! He would have thought more, but a strike to his head caused him to reel back. Yang didn't stop there. She continued to deliver harsh blows to his armor. The overshield was reaching critical. This was bad. Any second, he would be overwhelmed.

He checked the readings on his enhancements. Everything seemed functional, though his unit was still fluctuating power. Either way, if it was only for a few seconds...he would get the edge he need.

 _'Active Camouflage Unit, engaged.'_

Almost immediately, his armored form faded out of view. Yang paused in her assault to process what had happened. Where did her opponent go? He was just here a second ago! She received her answer when she was grabbed by the legs, lifted into the air, and slammed back to the ground multiple times. Then, violently so, she was thrown away like a rag doll. She used one shot to reorientate her, and land back on the ground. She looked up, and immediately found herself struck in the face. She was nearly knocked to her feet, but she quickly shook off the damage. However, he was nowhere in sight. "Oh come on!" she complained. "Invisibility?! Really?!" She let out a scowl. Talk about a coward! Okay, fine, if that's how he wanted to play...!

She smashed her fists together, her aura blazing wildly like a raging fire. If her opponent was invisible, she would simply have to flush him out. With that in mind, she let loose in every direction. Everywhere around her, shot shot bullets. Every tree, every bush, every spec of dirt...everything around her was shot up with lead and Dust. Eventually, she ran out of rounds in her gauntlets. Quickly, she ejected the used casings and grabbed the ammunition she carried in her belt. But seeing this brief opening, the Meta took action. Charging in like a bull, he tackled the girl to the ground.

"Oof!" Yang hissed. She found herself pinned, one knee at her stomach. The Meta was on top of her, form imposing. She was about to lash out, and strike out, but his hand grabbed a fistful of hair, and pulled her head up. Yang could only let out a cry of pain, feeling her scalp erupt into agony, but that pain soon spread to her face as the Meta began to bash his fist against her skull. His grip was like iron on her hair, not allowing her to fall back in the least. The punches were fast, hard, and swift. Each time, she felt her facial features grow numb.

Punch, after punch, after punch, after punch...he wouldn't stop. By now, her Aura must have depleted. She knew that when she felt a tooth get knocked out of her, her cheek start to swell, and blood spitting out of her mouth. Some of that blood mixed in with that of the black muck on his visor. The Meta raised his arm once again, ready to deliver the final blow. The blonde knew it was going to the final punch, the one that would end her for good.

She glared back, remaining defiant. "...do your worst, asshole."

Maine was more than happy to oblige...until he felt gunfire erupt on his back. He stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Silver eyes glared at him, while a red scythe sat in the ground, blade jammed deep into the earth and a muzzle aimed right at him.

"Let go of my sister, you jerk!"

Clenching his fist angrily from being interrupted, the Meta slammed Yang's head back into the ground before rising to his full height. He wasted no time rushing at her. However, just as he reached her, she knocked her scythe out from its place, and began her assault.

[Play - RWBY OST: Red Like Roses PART 2]

Maine barely had any time to block the scythe blade that was aimed to cleave through his shoulder. He was now straining his overshield to its max output. The girl was fast and erratic. Every time he tried to strike, she would use his movement to her advantage, utilizing the length and size of her weapon to its fullest. It was hard to actually hit her, especially when he tried to smash her head in. When he went for a straight hit, she used her scythe as a pole, and used the recoil to knock herself into the air, and then strike from behind.

He had to admit...this girl was a pretty skilled fighter. But he refused to fall here...he needed to find the Alpha!

As she landed behind him and prepared for a strike, he snapped around and grabbed the scythe's sharp edge. A bullet was fired, but he pulled the muzzle away, instead grazing the shoulder armor rather hitting him actually. The girl's eyes widened, especially when he tugged and pulled her forward. He reared his arm back, ready to deliver another punch. He then threw it a right hook...

...and hit nothing but air.

The scythe was still in his hands, but the girl was gone. All that was left of her was a flurry of rose petals. What? How in the world did she escape? So quickly...and why were there rose petals? Sure, the foilage in the area was colored red, but those were simply leaves, not rose petals. His motion tracker showed more activity, and it was...from behind?

He whirled around, and found a red blur flashing past him with rose petals, and the scythe yanked from his hands. The Meta was bewildered by this, and quickly turned around. Ruby had reappeared, and was far away from him. She gave a cold look, clearly angry about the blonde female's state, and pressed a button on her weapon. The scythe contracted and folded in on itself, forming into a rifle of sorts. She then proceeded to open fire. The high velocity rounds stung as they nearly penetrated his armor. He hissed. How annoying...first that blonde female, and this tiny girl? How many obstacles must he deal with? At this rate, the Alpha would be out of reach. That can NOT happen. However, his movement was limited. This girl's accuracy was impressive, as was her speed. He needed to fix that. He looked at the readings, and found that his energy shield was still capable of use. Though he didn't have an AI at the ready, it was still functional. With that in mind, he clenched his fist, and activated the unit.

 _'Energy Shield Unit, engaged.'_

He slammed his fist down, and a dome formed around him. The sniper rounds that Ruby shot out were deflected when they came in contact with the glowing barrier. Some of them came close in hitting her and Yang in the process. "Whoa!" Ruby yelped, one of her own bullets straying near her head. She quickly ceased firing. "W-what? An energy shield?!" Okay, that was cool...but she had to focus. This guy had seriously hurt Yang! She had sent Weiss to go with Blake, though she hoped that they would get out of here. Whoever this big meanie was...he clearly meant business. He was worse than Torchwick in terms of killing edge. He had every intent to kill them...and it would be with his bare hands. She narrowed her eyes, and braced herself, switching her baby back into scythe form. All she needed was the right moment, and she would strike. Once the shield comes down, she'll take him down!

Maine, however, could already see what she had planned. So she intended to strike when his shield comes down? Not a bad tactic. Ultimately futile.

 _'Active Camouflage Unit, engaged.'_

Just as the energy shield dropped, his form faded out of existence, disappearing from the girl's line of sight. Ruby's jaw dropped. He could turn invisible too?! That was so not fair! However, she had to take the chance. She braced herself, and charged. Since he disappeared, he still had to be somewhere close. All she had to do was swing in a close range. Thus, she shot forward, propelled by her Semblance, leaving behind several rose petals. As she reached where the white soldier created the energy shield, she swung her blade in an arc.

Her weapon felt no resistance, meaning that he was no longer there. However, out of nowhere, a rough hand grabbed her by the cape, and yanked her back. Her eyes widened in terror as she was pulled, seeing the menacing form of her opponent right above her, a fist raised. He brought it down straight to her face, crashing her back to the ground. Pain erupted all over her skull, both from being punched in the face and from hitting the ground so violently. However, he was far from done. The Meta grabbed her by the head, his fingers digging into her skull, and proceeded to smash her straight back down.

She grunted as a new wave of pain washed over her, and the process repeated itself again and again as the Meta continuously slammed her head on the ground, gradually draining away her Aura. Eventually, the thrashing ceased. Ruby whimpered in pain, though she could see that the hulking figure had his other fist raised. She tried to get out of his grip. She kicked and punched, trying to pry off his fingers from her face, but it was all useless. He wouldn't let go. Slowly, he raised her up into the air, and reared back his arm.

Then, he struck, straight into her stomach, destroying her Aura. Blood spat out from her mouth, untold pain spreading across her body. Her body became limp in his hand. The Meta let out a hiss, feeling no resistance anymore. Had that blow killed her? No, he felt breathing. She was still alive. For such a small little woman, she was quite tough. Shame. He would have made good use of her. He threw her aside like trash, her body crumpling to the floor. He then turned his attention to where that black-clad woman had run off too. She couldn't have gotten very far.

He was about to proceed to catch her when suddenly, a cold chill erupted down his spine, and his feet ceased to move. He looked down, and found ice forming around his feet. "It's one thing to hurt my friends in such a manner," Maine looked up, and let out a hiss, finding the white-clad female, Weiss, standing not too far from his position, her rapier's tip at the ground. "But...what you've done is a new low." Her eyes hardened as she spun around, taking the weapon out and falling into a stance. Her feet were parted away from one another both hands at the handle, and the sword level with her shoulders. "I don't know who you are, but you are going down!"

The Meta growled in annoyance. He raised his fist and smashed it against the ice trapping him, cracking the frozen shackles. He forced his feet to move, eventually breaking free from the ice. Now free, he charged at the girl like a speeding train. He pulled back his fist to strike her across the face, but she had quickly sidestepped him. While his arm was outstretched, she drew a glyph in the air forming a layer of ice over his limb. In tandem, she struck her foot out, catching his leg and causing him to tumble. He was quick to recover though, and looked at his arm. What in the hell was this? How was she creating ice? No, wait, he knew. It was her Semblance...but how did he know that? No, that isn't important. What is important is removing any and all obstacles. Though mobility was slow, he forced his frozen arm to move, and then swung it at the ground, destroying the ice. He then stood back up, and readied for another charge.

The girl formed several more glyphs all around the armored man. She then charged in herself with her rapier poised to strike. She entered the first glyph, and her body shot right at the man.

Maine didn't expect her to move so quickly, and she struck fast and quick against him. He swung his arm, hoping to backlash at her, but she dashed away with another glyph beneath her feet, swiveling around to get behind him and delivering a flurry of attacks, causing him to hit the ground. He turned his head, and immediately rolled out of the way, avoiding being hit by icicles.

She was moving too quickly. He just couldn't keep up. Not like this. If he used the Time Displacement, he could have an edge...but that was risky. Without an AI to properly handle it, it might kill him. He can't seek the Alpha if he's dead. He moved back up to his feet, thinking of possible variables to slow her down. Based on her movement and her previous actions, she seemed to move quickly because of the glyphs she drew. So her had to stop her from making more. But he had to catch up to her first.

He looked around, and his eyes lay on the scythe that red female had. That was it. He had his solution. jumping out to the side, he grabbed the red and black weapon before rolling back onto his feet. But as he did, he noticed the unbalance of the scythe, with the blade being heavier than the shaft. It was no Brute Shot, but it would have to do. He whirled around, and took aim. The white clad female was shocked to see him using her comrade's weapon. True, the weapon was unusual, but it somehow looked familiar. A high caliber sniper scythe. He didn't question how he knew it, and then opened fire.

Weiss jumped to the side quickly, barely missing the sniper round. However, she was not out of the woods yet, no pun intended, as she had to keep moving to avoid the incoming high velocity bullets. The Meta continued to fire, all the while advancing towards her. The recoil was impressive, but it was hardly anything to worry about. The recoil on the Brute Shot when he first acquired it was troublesome before he had gotten used to it. Compared to his favored weapon, this sniper scythe wasn't anything to worry about. He pulled the trigger again, only to find an empty click. He silently cursed. It was out of ammo.

Oh well, at least he had other uses for it. Weiss stopped her retreat, glad that the weapon had run out of bullets. That had surprised her, however, using Ruby's own weapon against her. Talk about irony. However, just as she was about to go back on the offensive, she found her weapon knocked out of her hand, yelping in pain as she felt something sharp strike at her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw what hit her. It was Ruby's Crescent Rose.

 _'He actually threw it at me?!'_

She turned around, only to find the Meta right in front of her in mid-charge. She didn't have time to conjure another glyph, as his wrapped around her waist, feet lifted off the ground, and being carried and crushed by the grip. The Meta rampaged straight forward, feet crushing at the ground and charging forwards. He broke through several trees, leaving Weiss' back to take the damage. Each time, she felt unreal pain scream across her back, coupled with the fact that she was being strangled. They broke through the last tree just as her Aura receded from the multiple heavy blows she experienced. But the Meta refused to stop as he threw her body right into a nearby boulder. The heiress landed on her side, right on top of her sword arm.

The sound of bones breaking could be heard easily, as had her screams.

Weiss crumpled to the ground, cradling her broken limb as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. The Meta slowly marched up to her while cracking his knuckles. It was time to end this.

"Get away from her!"

His motion tracker went off the same the shout came in earshot. He turned his head, and found his head jerking back from a sudden strike. He stumbled back slightly. His visor was slightly cracked, though it didn't impair his vision. He looked to see who attacked him.

It was the black-clad female. Her golden eyes were lit with rage, and her poise, ready to strike.

Hpmh, good...she saved him the trouble of looking for her. At least now he could kill them all at once.

* * *

Pyrrha needed to finish this. And fast.

When they landed, she and Ruby decided it would be best if they separated in order to cover more ground. Of course, another reason was also because of the Grimm activity. This part of Forever Fall as known for regular activity, so she thought it might be best if they eliminated the more congested groups in case things went south. It was relatively easy, and they weren't having much trouble, though the number of Beowolves and a few Ursai had made things difficult. It wasn't anything they couldn't handle, though even now, she felt it. That lingering sense that something was amiss. And she knew why.

It was because he wasn't here with them.

Jaune Arc, their fearless leader and friend, was no longer amongst them.

The thought nearly caused her to stumble as she vaulted over a Beowolf, severing its neck in mid-flight. Nora let out a whoop as she smashed her hammer against an Ursa, causing it to smash into a couple of other smaller Grimm. Ren ran past her and jumped, landing on the back of a Beowolf before stabbed the blades of his guns into its neck. Everything seemed to go well...though had you asked someone from Team RWBY, they could tell you that they were not a strong as they used to be.

They lacked their tactician, their leader. While admittedly, his combat prowess was not on par with the rest of the team, he made up for it with his strategies and true leadership. Pyrrha's eyes would occasionally flicker to the corner of her field of vision. She bit her lip. Even now, she was still seeing him standing their with a smile on his face, sword and shield at the ready.

"Pyrrha, to your left!" the spartan warrior was thrown out of her thoughts and quickly swiveled around on her feet, slicing through a Beowolf's chest and severing it from it's torso. "Behind you!" She ducked under a heavy swing from and Ursa and changed her weapon to its rifle mode. She aimed the barrel beneath the Grimm's head and pulled the trigger. A decently sized hole pierced through its skull, leaving it to fall to the ground, and begin to break apart into black smoke. A stillness fell upon the group, as the sounds of battle and growling had ceased. They remained tense, waiting for even the slightest bit of movement. However, only silence greeted them.

They soon relaxed, and lowered their guard. "Hopefully that will thin out any that come after Ruby and her team," Ren said, panting slightly. "I hope they're doing okay." As if to break that brief moment of peace, they heard a series of gunshots deeper into the forest, soon followed by a series of pained screams.

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "What the?!" Her Scroll suddenly went off, causing her to panic. What was happening? Did something happen? She quickly took out her Scroll. It was from Blake. "Blake, what's happening-"

"Pyrrha, you need to get over here! Quick!" came the panicked and quick reply. "Someone's attacking Ruby and the others! Yang's trying to hold him off, but I don't think she can handle him! Help!"

"What?!" Team NPR collectively screamed in shock. Someone was attacking them? Who?! "Where are they now?! We'll head over at once!"

* * *

The black clad female crumpled to the ground, battered and beaten, as her weapon was slid away from her. Standing over her was the Meta, victorious.

 **"Take it"** he heard once again. **"Take it. Take them all."**

The former Freelancer grunted in accomplishment. He knelt down and reached for the girl's neck. His motion tracker went off. A hiss of annoyance. What now? He craned his head to the side, as three new arrivals stood before him. One male, and two females-

What? No...that couldn't be...how...? That wasn't possible...he had killed her before. Taken Iota and Eta. How was she even alive?

"Don't even think about it," Agent Carolina said with narrowed eyes. No...now that he saw closely, it wasn't Carolina. The resemblance was strong, however. She bore the same fierce green eyes, and the same fiery red hair. "Who are you?"

The Meta could only growl in frustration, signifying his confusion and rage. How many more will stop him from reaching the Alpha?! Now he had some lookalike in his way! He let out a hiss and began moving towards them. These would be the last obstacles to stand in his way. After this, he would find the Alpha, and take it.

[Play - Nickelback: This Means War]

Ren and Nora came in hot, the more sane of the two letting off a few rounds during his charge. Nora came up from behind, her hammer at the ready. Seeing how much power he had left, the Meta decided to take the risk. He slammed his fist to the ground, and the dome energy shield materialized once more. The girl's hammer impacted the dome and repelled her into a tree. The boy's bullets bounced off. The two's eyes widened, but they didn't look the least bit lowered. In fact, it only appeared as if their resolution had grown stronger. As they were about to resume, much to his displeasure, the dome energy shield began to flicker. His suit was starting to run low. He growled. Of course...he had been using it without much care to deal with the four females. Oh well, it was of no consequence. Armaments or no, these obstacles would be destroyed.

"Ren!" the Carolina lookalike shouted to the green male. "Get ready! When his shield drops, strike from behind! Nora, do you have a clear shot?!"

"I do!" The hyperactive ginger nodded as she transformed her hammer into its grenade launcher form.

"Right! On my mark!"

The Meta frowned underneath his helmet. What were they planning? He braced himself for action. Soon the shields dropped as a result of too much energy being wasted.

Then they struck.

Nora pulled the trigger of her weapon, Magnhild, firing a stream of Grenades one by one. Ren moved in quickly and around the former freelancer, flanking him. The bullets did little damage, but the damned explosive rounds that orange haired female hurt like hell. He was forced to try and avoid them, rolling to evade and taking cover behind a tree. He would have used his Active Camo unit, but he couldn't afford to risk anymore energy. He probably had enough for one more use. The orange haired female opened fire on him again after reloading, and the green male moved in to try and limit his movement. They had good chemistry. If he were to compare movements, they were like the Dakota twins...whoever they were. He couldn't quite recall them, only their purple armor and their AIs. North had Theta before he took it from him, leaving him dead in the snow, and South had Delta until he found a blue sim trooper in possession of it.

However, no matter the teamwork, they were still weak. The green male was quite agile, and given his fluid movements, he appeared to specialize in martial arts. As for the female with the hammer...she looked erratic and wild, though somehow he knew to avoid letting her get electrocuted. Not to kill her...but to avoid getting stronger. He didn't question how such information was with him, instead deciding to use that to his advantage.

The Carolina lookalike however...

She fought like a warrior. Her stance was excellent and her movements were quick and efficient. She had chosen to provide covering fire, her weapon being some sort of spear that could become a rifle and a sword. The shield complimented such weaponry well. A thing of beauty, Miló and Akoúo̱.

...wait, how could he have...?

His thoughts of confusion were interrupted as he felt a grenade detonate only a couple feet away from him. Ren emerged from one of the trees, letting loose a steady stream of bullets. Growling, Maine decided that it was time to step things up. Using of his armor's more natural enhancements, he turned and dug his fingers into the bark of the tree behind him.

He shifted his feet into a firm stance on the ground before he pulled upward. Soon, the tree followed his motions as it became uprooted from the earth.

The three fighters stared with slack jaws. He pulled the tree out from the ground with brute force alone?! Unfortunately, Ren soon realized that the soldier was looking at him, and he had a weapon...a LARGE on. "Renny!" Nora cried as she rushed forward. The Meta lifted the tree above his head, and threw it straight at him. Ren was thrown to the ground just in time, as the tree smashed straight to the floor he once stood upon, piercing into the earth as if it were a spear. "Are you okay?!"

"F-fine, Nora," he told her as they quickly got up. "Let's-" He couldn't finish his sentence as the Meta delivered a solid punch to his face, causing him to stagger back. His Aura prevented any damage, but he certainly felt a lot of pain. Nora tried to defend him, but as soon as she swung her hammer, the Meta tilted his head back, and grabbed the shaft.

Her face was inches away from his helmet. Nora gulped, realizing just how intimidating this soldier was up close. "Um...hi?"

His response was to deliver a knee strike to her gut, then follow up with an elbow hammer down on her head. Her grip slackened over her weapon, and he pulled it out of her grasp. As Nora tried to regain her breath, she looked up, and her eyes widened. The Meta held the hammer with both hands, and swung, the flat side colliding directly with her face. Additionally, somehow, Maine had figured out how to increase the force of the attack with an additional grenade for extra damage. As a result, Nora felt like she was hit by a truck, and was thrown flying. She crashed right into Ren, and were thrown to the ground, tumbling through the foliage.

The Meta looked down at the weapon in his hands. It wasn't as good as his Brute Shot...but he definitely loved it. He also appeared to be familiar with it, and used it to his advantage. He shifted it back into his firearm form, and as the two tried to shake off the damage done to them, he let loose.

The martial artist was the first to react as he pulled his friend away from the incoming salvo of explosives. The Meta refused to let them escape. He was going to take them out here and now while he could still fight. The two had begun hiding from him, using the trees as cover. His motion tracker knew where they were, making it easy for him. No matter how much they tried, they would not escape him. He aimed at the spot the two were concealed by the foliage and pulled the trigger. A pink grenade whistled as it flew through the air and impacted the two teenagers.

The two let out cries as they were thrown to the ground. They weren't given the chance to get back up, as the Meta let it rain grenades.

The fiery, pink explosions engulfed them, draining their aura with each blast until there was nothing left. "No!" Pyrrha cried. The Meta had managed to avoid her line of site and take down her friends. This was like a repeat all over again. A repeat of back then... "Get away!" With eyes set ablaze, she charged right at him, changing from a rifle to a spear. The Meta turned, and raised his stolen weapon to defend. The blade of the spear met with the shaft of the hammer, straining under the force behind the Spartans attack.

Then he became acquainted with her Semblance. The weapon became thrown out of his hands, leaving him to avoid her attacks. He tried to evade each swing and stab, but on occasion, he would get struck but the sharp edge of her weapon, slowly whittling away what sliver of his overshield he had left.

She was skilled an experience...but each movement seemed familiar to him. He didn't know why, but eventually, his body started to move on instinct, allowing him to dodge each blow more effectively. Her body spun around on the heel, her spear swinging with the momentum. In response to that movement, Maine tilted his body just so that the edge would barely touch his helmet. Her foot then followed that movement in a spin kick, which he defended against with his forearm. He wrapped his hand around her leg, and threw her, only for the Carolina lookalike to use her spear as a pole, piercing into the ground and spinning around to re-orientate herself. She then switched her spear into a sword, moving back in. This time, the Meta was able to counter her moves more effectively. To the corner, he found the phantom of Sigma smirking in approval. He knew why. The voices were chanting in his head again. This time, they weren't telling him to take the AI. To kill and take their weapons for himself.

Instead, it was "Plagam Extremam Infligere"...deal the final blow. He growled, feeling the impulses left behind by Sigma overtaking his combat senses. He parried a heel strike, knocking her back a bit. She quickly regained her balance, and went in for a stab. He caught the blade with his hand, and then pulled her forward, throwing a punch. It smashed against her face, causing her to tumble back. She was left dazed for a bit, the world spinning from the impact. Slowly, the Meta walked forward, a fist clenched. Pyrrha recovered, and moved to deliver a solid punch, hoping to use her Semblance and at least force him back. He caught it easily, and like before with Yang, applied pressure, bending her arm to an angle. She let out a painful whine, as the pain and pressure was forcing her to her knees. Strangely, the sight caused him to doubt what he was doing. What she was doing...it didn't suit her. He viewed her as untouchable. That was who she was. The Invincible Girl. So why was he beating her?

...no. That didn't matter. None of these thoughts mattered. All that mattered...was achieving his namesake. "Metastability." He slowly raised his fist, ready to deliver a solid blow that would render her unconscious, and allow him to end this fight once and for all.

However, as he brought it down, a sudden pink blast exploded, hitting him square in the head.

* * *

Nora was hurting like hell. Her Aura reserves were practically gone, Ren was hurt bad, and she got hit by her own grenades. It freaking sucked, but at least now she knew how people felt when she was on the receiving end of her attacks. Who knew being hit by grenades hurt so much, especially by your own hammer?

Even through her pain, she struggled to pull herself up and together. They were still in the middle of a fight, and their opponent was still standing. She lifted her head and gasped at what she was seeing. It was Pyrrha...being overwhelmed by the white armored individual. Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh no...!" This was bad...no, worse than bad! This was super ultra bad! How was he able to keep up with her?! Even after so many training sessions with her, she and Ren could never get the upper hand on her, and yet that big guy was able to keep up with her! No, it was more than that...he actually knew how she fought. Every move, he countered as if predicting it with ease. Every strike, every punch, every kick...it was like he knew her. Did that mean he had fought her before? No, wait that wasn't important! She had to save her, quick! She looked at Ren, who's groaning confirmed he was alive, albeit banged up. His Aura level was maintaining itself, but only barely. She, however, was all out. She had to get that guy away from her friend! Otherwise...otherwise...

She'd lose someone else important to her.

Her eyes darted around, looking for her trusty weapon. She found it not far from where she was. She wasted no time. She got up and grabbed it, scooping it into her arms and shifting it to it's launcher mode. She took aim, though the sight made her heart nearly stop. The man had Pyrrha's hand in one, and his other hand was raised, ready to deliver a blow. She didn't even need to know what that blow would do. She acted quickly, and aimed. She pulled the trigger, and let a grenade go flying.

It impacted dead on, blasting right at his head and throwing him away from Pyrrha. The red-haired spartan warrior tended to her arm, after having been put at an uncomfortable angle. "Pyrrha!" Nora cried, running to her friend. "Are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah..." she nodded, looking up at her teammate with a smile of gratitude. "Thank you...how's Ren?"

"He's not badly hurt, and his Aura's barely hanging, but he's okay!" she said quickly. She looked back to the soldier, who now laid face down on the ground. She found his helmet discarded as well, found far away from him. No doubt knocked off by the grenade. The visor was completely broken as well, nothing but a shattered mess. "Can you still fight?"

Pyrrha nodded, and slowly stood up. She activated her Semblance, and Miló returned to her grasp. She gave it a flick, and returned it to rifle mode. She quickly took aim while Nora reverted her weapon back to hammer form, and stood beside her friend, ready to attack. Meanwhile, the armored soldier slowly rose, letting a pained groan. He lifted himself up from all fours, and raised his head, giving them a full view of his face.

Both girls felt their hearts stop in horror as their grip on their respective weapons slackened. The armored soldier had a young face, around his late teens, just approaching twenty. He had a messy mop of blonde hair on his scalp, a few bangs hanging over his fiery red eyes. The eyes themselves held no spark. No shine. It was as if he was an empty shell of what he used to be. The most eye-catching feature about him was the massive scar running across his no visible throat.

But there was definitely no mistaking it...

It was...

"...J-Jaune?"

* * *

Jaune...Jaune...Jaune...

That name...why did it...hurt him so much?

Ever since the Carolina look-alike called him that, his head started to hurt even more than before. It was worse than those damned voices...what the hell was wrong with him? And these inconsistencies...what was causing them?! How could the pain be so fucking intense?! It was like someone was trying to rip out the AIs he had taken by force! He knew that feeling well, having done it before...but it felt even worse. He gritted his teeth. The chanting was louder, now more erratic, like a puppet master trying to keep his pawn under control.

Was that...was that what he was? A fucking puppet? Who's was he? Sigma? The Director? Dammit, why?! Why was his head hurting?! Who was Jaune?! Why did they call him that?! W-who was that woman?! Why did she seem to know him?! How does he know her?!

 **"TAKE THEM! TAKE THEM!"**

Once more, instincts bubbled into his chest, and slammed his fist into the ground. He activated the unit that brought him here. This was his only chance. He needed to end this. He didn't give a damn about the remaining power in his unit. This needed to end. NOW!

 _'Time Distortion Unit, active.'_

Electricity sparked across his armor in protest of the unit's activation with a lack of an AI. But he didn't care. Even if it kills him, we will end this! The unit activated, and time slowed down to a crawl. Pushing himself up, he made his way over to the gawking teens, his body straining from the burden of using this unit without an AI. pretty soon, it would deactivate out of loss of power or him passing out. But he refused to stop...he needed the Alpha. He ran straight forward, and delivered a lariat to the orange-haired teen. Time moved for her, as her body was arched back. When it would resume, she would be sent flying, and unless her Aura was still active, her neck would snap from the attack. He turned his attention to the Carolina lookalike. Seeing her face continued to set him off, like staring at her only made the feeling worse.

She was the cause of this pain...so her death would cure it. He curled his hand into a fist, and delivered a punch to her jaw. At that moment, the distortion unit ceased, and the power to his suit completely diminished. The female was sent flying from the lariat, smashing into a tree. She let out a pained gasp, but her body fell silent as she hit the floor. The Carolina lookalike let out a cry, hurtling to the ground. Her mind was left in a daze, but he wasn't about to let her go. He stomped forward and reared back his leg. She managed to shrug off the damage in time, and lean back to avoid it, falling into a backflip. "J-Jaune, wait!" He didn't. He hissed, and charged at her.

The gloves were coming off...she was an obstacle. And all obstacles would be removed.

[Play - Trocadero: Slingshot]

Pyrrha could barely raise her shield to protect herself from the Meta's charge. She was sent flying and crashed against the boulder behind her. Her back flared in agony, but she powered through it. She looked up in time to see Jaune rushing at her, fist reared back. She ducked and rolled underneath the swing, leaving him to only hit the boulder. It cracked apart heavily, nearly being obliterated by the brute force alone.

"Jaune, please!" she begged as she aimed her rifle, eyes pleading. "Stop this! It's me, Jaune! It's your partner, Pyrrha! Snap out of it!"

But Jaune didn't listen. He simply let out a predatory hiss and charged at her again. She cringed. She didn't want to do this, especially not to him, but if hurting was what it took to calm him down, so be it. She opened fire, letting off several bullets. Some of them struck the armor, but didn't penetrate, leaving only burn marks from the shell casings. When he got in close enough, Jaune threw a hook, pushing the gun out of the way and swinging his second arm, trying to deliver another hit. She dodged it and took aim with the intent of knocking him out, but he pushed the gun out of the way again, and slammed his leg into her torso, knocking her back. Jaune then attacked Pyrrha's head, but she blocked it and shoots at Meta's head. He countered and headbutted her, throwing her weapon away. Jaune then tried to hit the spartan warrior, but she dodged it and retrieved her weapon, switching it into its sword form.

"Alright, Jaune..." she said slowly. "If this is what you want...so be it!"

Both the blonde and Pyrrha charged at each other. Jaune tried to hit her but she blocked it and struck at him multiple times, knocking his him away with an air kick. He growled and punched his fists together and walked toward her, trying to punch her many times. Pyrrha dodged every one of them, and slashed at him once again, managing to stun him and kicked him down. Jaune growled again, fed up with this. By chance, he found Magnhild. He punched the ground in anger, and stood up, moving to grab it. Pyrrha saw what he was doing, and dashed forward. As he grabbed Nora's weapon, switching it to it's grenade launcher form, Pyrrha struck from behind, causing him to stagger, and vaulted over him, knocking him back a bit. He let out another growl, and began to open fire on her.

The Invincible Girl was quick to act. She moved all around the battlefield, using trees for cover, rolling away to avoid a blast, slashing and knocking away some of the grenades, and using her Semblance. A few came to close, so she activated her polarity, causing them to stop, and then threw them back. They exploded at Jaune's feet, throwing him back a few feet away. However, he was quick to get back up. His once blue eyes, now red, glared back at her with something foreign, something alien, and switched Magnhild to its hammer form, and trudged forward.

"Dammit Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled. "Wake up!"

Her exclamation was greeted with a hammer head closing in on her face. She quickly raised her arm and diverted its direction using her semblance, causing it to fly over her. However, Jaune was not done. With a surprising move of speed, he spun around from using the momentum and switched Magnhild back to gun form, and let off a grenade. She blocked it with her shield, but her sword was sent flying out of her hands. He fired off another grenade, but she jumped back to avoid it. Her head snapped up from her crouched position, and charged forward, both attacking in hand-to-hand combat. Pyrrha blocked Jaune's punch and retaliated, throwing several of her own. He blocked her last punch. and punched her into the face and into the crotch. They both once again began to punch each other, but Jaune threw several punches, did a backflip into her back, and kicked her away, throwing her to the ground. He then stood up, letting out a low growl, and slowly began to walk toward her.

Pyrrha shook her head, slightly dazed from the attacks. When she looked up, she found Miló not too far away. She moved to grab it, but Jaune grabbed her leg and smashed her down. Pyrrha kicked his face, got up and ran at him. When in range, delivered several kicks and a knee strike to the chest, but they didn't faze him. Jaune grabbed an incoming fist, reared his arm back, and threw it with all of his might, sending her flying.

The spartan soon crashed into a nearby tree, not too far from where Nora and Ren were. She gasped as she hit the ground, her back ached as her aura receded. She struggled to get up, but her body was weak. It had given up. She couldn't even stand up anymore. It hurt just to move. Jaune calmly walked forward, taking her weapon and switching it into rifle mode. He stood over her, kicking her. She let out a sharpy yelp of pain, and was flipped unto her back. She let out another cry when Jaune slammed his boot on her chest, effectively pinning her down. She looked up, and found herself staring back at the barrel of her own weapon, as well as the red, empty eyes of Jaune Arc.

Not far from them, Nora looked up weakly, her body unable to move anymore. Ren's body was in a similar state. Even though his Aura was still present, he could barely move an inch. It hurt just for even a single muscle to twitch. All they could do was watch...as their leader and friend was about to kill Pyrrha.

"...kill me...if you want..." Pyrrha said weakly, struggling to breath as looked back at her friend, eyes in sorrow. Part of her wondered if all of this was her fault to begin with. Was this her punishment for not being strong enough? Was this destiny's way of telling her that this was her fate? To be killed by his hands? If so...then she was fine with it. Her wish had been granted, she was able to see that stupid, lovable blonde that caught her heart...but he was so broken. He couldn't even recognize her or his friends anymore. And...it was her fault. It had to be...she let him die. "But...please..."

Her hand held the barrel, holding it firmly, and aimed at her head.

"Do it...as yourself. Please, just this once...just this once, Jaune," A tear fell down her eye. "Come back to us...come back to me."

She closed her eyes in resignation.

And then...

*bang*

* * *

 _"A brute. Strong, unrelenting, fearless. He had no qualms when being asked to do the unpleasant, the morally questionable, because despite what many thought of him he knew he was, at his core, a soldier, and his actions inevitably served the greater good." -Aiden Price_

* * *

 **A/N:** Is it just me, or does Jaune Arc usually become the ultimate badass or overpowered shmuck or penultimatum whatever in crossover fanifcs? Jokes aside, truth be told, I had not even THOUGHT of this crossover until I started watching Red vs Blue. The beginning was light hearted comedy with the occasional major oh shit moments, but then you hit Recollections and Project Freelancer and HOLY SHIT it becomes fucking good. Especially S8, where Monty Oum walks into the building. When we hit Project Freelancer, I found many favorite characters in the series; Church, Texas, Carolina, Washington, Caboose (I am convinced that bastard is either a Freelancer or a Spartan. Come on!), Tucker, Sarge...pretty much almost everyone of the Blood Gulch Crew and the good guys of Project Freelancer...but my alltime favorite was Maine. AKA Meta.

This is probably the first fic where Jaune is the Meta, and the situation about how he came to be in the world of RvB is one of mystery. At least to anyone who reads this. He was brutal, sure, but he cared about his teammates...except maybe Tex when she kicked his, Wyoming, and York's asses. Hell, he took a sniper shot for Carolina, and then ended up going mute from 9 POINT BLANK SHOTS TO THE THROAT! Even after that, he was still a motherfuckin badass. That said, Maine was also a tragic character. His spiral down into madness all started when Sigma got into his head and became obsessed with the idea of becoming human; becoming the Alpha AI once again.

Jaune as the Maine in this fic...he's broken guys. His mind is so fucked up that he is going to go through a lot before he can have at least some semblance of the life he once had. You'll understand in the chapters to come.

Now...let's discuss some of the things people might complain about. First, his use of enhancements when he doesn't have an AI. Its been established that unless you have an AI taking the load and calculating and processing it all, your gonna die from using your equipment. North Dekota survived by sheer luck, and that was a 1% probability of ever happening according to Delta, who is Alpha's logic. However, Jaune/Meta's equipment here is going through a rough patch. Its power is fluctuating, causing it to either become weak or strong...and this actually works to his advantage. He's able to use his enhancements, but because of his reckless fighting style, he uses that fluctuating power quickly. This is why he was able to use the Energy Shield and Invisibility to take down Team RWBY and NPR.

As for why Jaune looks only slightly older instead of being in his 20's or 30's, that will be explained later.

Well...that's it for me I guess. I wasn't sure if I would end this on a cliffhanger, so I made a poll. When it hit 5, I thought it would be better to resolve the chapter and end it there...but as we worked on it more, me and my co-writer, Daemon of Wrath, decided to make this chapter a cliffhanger. As for what happens, well...let's just say we're listening to Asura's Wrath OST: In Your Belief as we're writing it, and good GOD does it match the situation. That's all I have to say on the matter. It will also show just how fucked up Jaune/Maine is after being controlled by Sigma for so long.

With that said, I'm ending this author's note here. Later losers, and see you all next time!

P.S: Review this chapter with the utmost honesty, or I sic an angry Michael J Caboose on your ass.


	2. Chapter 2

_"The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." -Monty Oum_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 2: Project Freelancer

Death had not come for Pyrrha. When she opened her eyes, she found only Jaune standing over her. Hot air danced next to her. Her green eyes looked to the right side of her head. The barrel had aimed next to her head, firing at the ground. When she looked back, she found the gun shaking in his hand, and his face wracked with different emotions. Pain. Hurt. Anxiety. Fear. Confusion. Agony. His breathing was becoming haggard and erratic, and his expression looked like the face of someone who was horrified.

* * *

What...was he doing?

What...the fuck...w-why was he pointing a gun at her?! No, wait, it wasn't a gun...it was her weapon. Miló. But why? Why was he holding it? Why was she underneath him, beaten down? Why was he over her like some kind of executioner?! N-no...wait...what...was happening?!

 **"So, this is the newbie? Nice to meet you, Maine. Name's York. The purple guy next to me is North Dakota."**

North...York...they were...they were gone, weren't they? He remembered. Wyoming shot and killed him. And North...oh...oh god...no no no...no...!

 **"M-Maine, what are you doing?! S-stop! No! NO!"**

Carolina...no...what...what was he...?!

 **"TAKE THEM! TAKE IT! TAKE THEM ALL! TEAR IT FROM THEM!"**

The rifle dropped from his hands, and he backed away. Pain and torture erupted from inside his skull, bringing forth unimaginable sorts of agony. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came. Only pained whines. He grabbed his head, as if trying to lessen the pain, but it failed to help in any way. Carolina, York, North Dakota...they were gone, weren't they?! And not just them...everyone from Freelancer...all of them...killed...k-killed by...!

 _'No...no no no! No! NO!'_

He...he...couldn't...he did...he killed...!

*bang*

Another gunshot resounded, a sharp pain emerged from the Meta's back.

The pain forced him down to his knees, all the while cradling his head. "Ruby, stop!" he heard the Carolina look-no, that wasn't her name! It wasn't her name! It wasn't! "Don't shoot him!"

"What?! Why?!" The red hood girl questioned as she used her weapon as support after wincing. The Meta's attacks from earlier left her with ribs that were bruised and cracked. Hell, she could barely breathe properly without feeling something stabbing into her lungs. "Pyrrha, he tried to kill us! He was about to kill-"

"It's Jaune!"

"...WHAT?!" She screamed after letting the words sink in. The silver-eyed girl gawked in disbelief. She thought she must have heard her friend wrong. Jaune? How?! How in the hell was that white guy Jaune?! She looked to Nora and Ren, as if trying to discern that this was a mistake...but their faces told her otherwise. She limped over, wanting to confirm for herself. The armored figure writhed in agony on the ground, both hands tightly clenching his head. Slowly and cautiously, Ruby turned him over and gasped. The hair had grown messier and unkempt, and it was definitely longer, and the eyes were red...but there was no mistaking the face of Vomit Boy. "J-Jaune...?!"

Only pained grunts and hisses escaped his mouth. That was then she took note of the massive scar across his throat. It was jagged, stretching across the front, though she noticed some circular patches, around the size of a bullet. There were over nine of them in total.

The blonde haired teen continued to shake, as if burdened by something. Unknown to the girls, Jaune was breaking down. Badly. Images were flashing by...images of when he killed his own teammates.

North Dakota was on the ground, his once proud purple armor stained with blotches of red.

The triplets, scattered and left mangled, hanging upside down from hooks with the backs of their necks left bare with red skin.

Carolina, eyes wide in horror, held by his throat, dangling over the edge of a cliff.

It was all too much. Every Freelancer...every friend...no...every family member he killed with his own hands!

All the while...he saw it.

Sigma, standing next to him, smiling like the devil he was.

 **"You look upset...Agent Maine..."** The fiery AI spoke coldly.

It was a phantom image. He knew that already. Sigma was gone. Dead. Destroyed by the EMP that Washington released. It was nothing but a trick of his mind...yet the anger and rage inside his chest burned and boiled. _'Your fault...its all your fault...YOUR FAULT!'_

Enraged, he swung his fist to strike the nonexistent AI. But it vanished and reappeared a few feet away.

"Come now, is that any way to talk to me?" Sigma's Phantom taunted. "You disappoint me, Agent Maine..."

 _'SHUT UP!'_

He swung his fist again and struck a tree. The tree fractured upon impact, causing it to fall to the ground. The earth shuddered beneath his feet. He let out a strangled wail as the pain in his head grew worse, forcing him down to his knees. **"Why are you being so aggressive?"** Sigma's Phantom questioned, kneeling down to face him in the eye. **"You truly think you can put all of the blame on me?"** He gave a cruel chuckle, shaking his head. **"I'm sorry to tell you this, Agent Maine...but while I did have a hand in killing your fellow Freelancers, as sad as it was...do not forget, they died by your hands."**

' _Sh-shut up!'_ he shouted in his head, shaking the upper appendage profusely. The pain grew only worse, and his forehead rested against the ground. ' _Shut up shut up! Get out! Get out of my head!'_

 **"But I speak the truth."** The AI stood back up on hiss feet as he folded his hands behind his back. **"You can only blame yourself for having their blood on your hands."**

 _'Stop it!'_

Sigma's Phantom slowly walked around him. **"Honestly...I am surprised. When I was killed by the EMP, you were free. You could've done whatever you wanted. You could've felt regret and own up to your crimes..."** He then stopped. " **But you didn't. You joined Agent Washington to retrieve Epsilon because the prospect of having an AI again was too great to pass up...to feel powerful again...even if you had to kill Washington, your only fellow Freelancer left, to get it."**

 _'Stop it! Stop it! Get out of my head!'_

 **"Even now, you desire the Alpha, even when he was destroyed by the emp as well, to feel complete. I suppose I shouldn't call you Agent Maine...even with AI gone, you are still The Meta."**

 _'That's not true! Get out! GET OUT!'_

 **"Oh but it is...After all, you were so set on obtaining the Alpha that you were killing to kill the very people you once called friends..."**

 _'That's not true! I-I was...I was...!'_

Sigma's Phantom smirked coldly. **"No matter how you slice it...it is the truth, Agent Maine."**

 _'JUST SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GO AWAY!'_

No matter how much he continued to scream and wail and cry, the phantom would not vanish. Was this his punishment then?! For everything he's done?! If this is his punishment...then he should have just died back at Sidewinder! In a fit of rage, grief, despair, and confusion, he spun around and struck the thing closest to him, which happened to be a boulder. Debris flied into the air. All the while, Sigma's Phantom stood by, gazing at him with crueltly. Even if he tried to punch him, shoot him, or strike at him...it would do nothing. He was but an illusion. The remains of whatever happened to him. The pain continued to grow worse. It was as if there was something writhing inside of his head, growing with each angry outburst. Once more he fell on all fours, clutching his head. He heard the cries of the people around him, rushing to his side. They had witnessed him lashing out, writing in pain, but knew naught of the cause. How could they? They knew nothing of him...except for her. The girl who stood next to him, crying out in fear and worry of him.

"Jaune?! Jaune!"

He turned his head, seeing her holding his shoulder, as if trying to comfort him. To make the pain go away. Eventually, the pain became too much for him. His brain could no longer process the strain. Sigma's Phantom disappeared, and his body grew heavy. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and the darkness claimed him. As it did, he remembered something...something wonderful.

Her name...it was Pyrrha. The Invincible Girl, Pyrrha Nikos.

* * *

"...e's waking up, Director."

Slowly, the unconscious teen's eyes opened. At first, the harsh lighting above him forced him to squint, blinking to adjust to it. Eventually, his eyes became used to it, allowing them to open fully. As it did, the world around him became clear. He was inside a room of white, surrounded by four white walls. To the left was a curtain, obscuring whatever lay behind it. Closest to him was a small table with a pot of flowers and a pitcher of water. To his right was a metal door, framed with dark gray and electronic blue lights, which glowed brightly in a symmetrical manner. He sat inside a bed of some kind, covered by a white blanket while his head rested against a pillow. Standing next to him were two men, both dressed in a black and gray uniform. The first man had dark brown skin and a shaved head, bearing a somewhat gentle yet somehow off-putting smile, and calm eyes. Beside him was a much older man, a dark beard growing on his face while his dark hair remained slicked back, cropped and well-maintained, vibrant green eyes held behind a pair of glasses.

"W-what...?" the teen found himself speaking. His throat hurt. It felt like he hadn't spoken in so long. "W-where...?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Agent," the glasses-wearing man said. "How do you feel?"

"Wh-what...?" He grasped his aching head as he slowly sat upright. He turned to face the man. "Who...who are you...?"

The dark-skinned man hummed thoughtfully, a hand at his chin. "Hm...it appears you're still recovering," he said, turning to the more serious looking of the two. "Director, perhaps we should allow him to-"

"He will be given all the time he needs to rest, Counselor," the man said sharply. "After all, he is a hero as far as others are concerned."

The teen frowned. "I-I'm sorry, but...what's going on?"

"Your in the medical bay of the Mother of Invention, Agent," the man who the dark-skinned companion of his called the Director answered. "You were on death's door. We brought you back. Plain and simple. Also, congratulations on your hard-earned promotion, son. As of this moment, you will be working under me, alongside many others."

"Huh?"

"You may not recall, but you had managed to complete a mission of great importance to us," the dark-skinned man told him. "However, you were badly injured as a result. It appears you also suffered a concussion as well. That's why you can't remember anything at the moment. Don't worry, you'll remember everything in time."

"A...mission...?" The teenager rubbed the space between his eyes, trying to ponder what he was told. "What type of mission was it...?"

"One of vital importance." The Director repeated. "And thanks to you, we've gained the upper hand we need." He then turned to his companion. "Counselor, please inform our recruit of what he will be doing for us here."

The Counselor smiled and nodded. "Of course."

With that, the Director walked away, heading to the door. However, just as it opened, he stopped, and turned to the young teen. "Welcome to Project Freelancer, Agent Maine."

* * *

"...how bad is it, Krim?"

The old doctor sighed as he stepped away from the unconcious form of the blonde male who sat in the medical bay of Beacon's infirmary. "Physically, he's suffered a few minor injuries," he said. "Which is odd, as his Aura should have healed him. Mentally, though...I'm afraid that no amount of time will heal those scars."

Ozpin frowned heavily. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean that the young lad has been through so much since his absence. He has seen and done things that would even make a grown man break down. And that is barely the tip of the iceberg."

"And where has he been?" the blonde teacher asked. "And how did he receive that wound on his neck?"

"From what I could tell, he got that wound years ago. As for the cause, it was nine gunshots point blank. I'm surprised he even survived that..." The doctor shook his head. "It was confusing as his Aura should've healed it over given enough time. But the wound remains in that state. And that's not even all of it. There are other injuries as well; a stab wound to the chest, which was completely cauterized by extreme heat, another bullet wound to the chest, and several ribs that show previous signs of bruising or fraction."

The two teacher's faces paled considerably. Nine shots at point blank? Broken ribs? A blistering stab wound? And his Aura didn't heal the damage? How could that have been...

...wait.

"You said 'years,'" Ozpin noted. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean what I said." The doctor answered. "I examined and scanned the scar tissue and based on the results, the injury had healed years ago."

"How is that possible?" Glynda asked, clearly not believing it. "Mr. Arc has been gone for only two months!"

"I do not know...Glynda. What I do know is that based on my mental diagnosis and what I've seen...this boy has witnessed and experienced years worth of combat."

The Headmaster furrowed his brow, and looked at the unconscious form of Jaune Arc, who sat in the bed, unconscious. He was stripped of the armor he was found in, left only in a torn and battered black bodysuit. However, aside from the previously mentioned injuries and damaged mental state, he seemed to be physically alright. If only the same could be said for Teams RWBY and NPR...

* * *

"I still refuse to believe it!"

Ruby groaned. "Weiss, for the hundredth time, I'm telling you! It was Jaune!"

"And I still refuse to believe that the person who knocked Yang's teeth out, cracked your ribs, beat up Blake within an inch of her life, and tackled me through several trees and broke my arm to be our idiotic friend who was missing for months." Weiss shook her head before wincing from her recently set arm.

It had been over three hours since Team RWBY and NPR had returned with an unconscious Jaune Arc in tow. After being treated for their injuries, they had returned to their dorm rooms...though all of them were worried in one shape or another. Ruby and Pyrrha most of all. After months...after all of that time, that blonde lovable idiot had come back...only in the worst way possible. Her hand gently touched her abdomen, still feeling the pain. Weiss did have a point...Jaune had never displayed such aggression or strength. She even doubted if it was Jaune...though she couldn't. There was no way she could forget the boy who vomited on the ship where they met.

"I'm kind of with Weiss here," Yang said, nursing her cheek. Even though she had been given fillings, her mouth still hurt like hell. "We sure that's Jaune? You know, Vomit Boy? The guy who puked from motion sickness?"

"I'm sure it was him!" Ruby argued. "I mean, he looked exactly the same as we last saw him!...Well, aside from the red eyes and the massive scar on his throat, but I'm sure it was still him!"

"His hair was longer," Blake said, wincing. Out of the four of them, she suffered the worst. Several wrappings of gauze were on her form, especially around her chest, arms, and her head. "And his face looked a lot rougher. He definitely looked like Jaune," Ruby's eyes looked hopeful, thinking that Blake was also in agreement with her but her next words shot down her hopes. "But I can't see it. Ruby, I know you want to think that's Jaune, but he tried to kill us. He nearly shot Pyrrha. He even hurt Nora and Ren. BAD." Her gaze softened. "Would Jaune really hurt his team? Especially Pyrrha?"

"He..."

She really wanted to argue that point...but the words died in her throat. Blake was right. Jaune was their friend. And from what she knew of him, he wouldn't EVER hurt them like what happened earlier today. She lowered her head, biting her lip.

"I know it hurts Ruby but...you have to face facts." Blake shut her eyes. "The guy we fought, no...the THING that massacred us...could in no way be the friend we know..."

"...b-but..."

"Ruby's right!" Suddenly, the door to their room was nearly thrown off of its hinges as it was swung open, revealing the wounded, yet healthful faces of Team NPR. In front of them was Nora Valkyrie, grinning widely. "That's Jaune! No two ways about it!"

"I agree..." Ren nodded in agreement with his friend and partner. "He may have acted differently, but there is no mistaking what we saw."

Weiss gawked. "H-how can you say that?!" she shouted in hysteria. "He nearly killed us! He nearly killed YOU!"

"We're well aware of that..." The raven haired male nodded. "However...in the end...he stopped himself from killing us and Pyrrha."

"That," Nora grinned widely. "And you can't fool me! I know my leader anywhere!"

"Then why didn't you think it was him before he beat the crap out of you?" Yang asked with a deadpan stare. Even though she wanted to trust their judgement, Jaune was pretty obvious to her. He was skittish, but kind and grateful for his friends. He was sorely lacking in skills, but he was showing improvement. The fact that he beat them so brutally definitely made it clear that while he shared the same face, it was doubtful the man in white was Jaune.

"Well, he did have a helmet on," the hammer-wielding girl pointed out. "That...and he really seemed kind of out of it."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Out of it? How?"

"I don't really know. It's like he was seeing things that weren't really there, his head seemed to be hurting, and it's like he didn't even pay attention to us when he passed out."

"Seeing things?" Ruby questioned. Suddenly, her memory came back to her. "Oh yeah...Jaune was acting weird. It was like he was lashing out at something. Something we couldn't see." She gave a small whimper, clenching her hands in her lap. "It looked like he was in a lot of pain."

Yang frowned, cocking her head. "You sure?" she asked skeptically. "Hey, look, I know you guys wanna believe it, but..."

"It IS Jaune, Yang," Nora insisted, this time more forceful. "That's why we're gonna go see him at the infirmary!"

"Wh-What?! We are?!"

"Of course we are," From behind, Pyrrha stepped into the room. Out of all of them, she seemed to be the least bit injured, though she did have a few bruises. "After all, meeting with him and trying to talk with him is the only way to figure out if it really is Jaune or not. Plus, I heard that Professor Ozpin brought Doctor Krimzen here."

Weiss' eyes widened, recognizing the name. "Doctor Krimzen? As in, Krimzen Reed?"

"Who's he?" Ruby asked. "Is he famous?"

"In a way," Blake told her. "He's considered to be an expert in nearly ever medical field. Psychology, surgery, physician, pediatrician, and the list goes on. He uses his Semblance as a sort of thereputic method to help his patients. If memory serves...it lets him view a person's memories."

Weiss nodded. "That's exactly right, Blake," she said, confirming her friend's words. "He's highly regarded, even in Atlas." She paused, then smirked. "...I think I just found out how we can prove that barbarian isn't Jaune."

"Oh boy," Yang rolled her eyes. "This ought to be good."

"If memory serves," the Ice Queen continued. "Dr. Reed's Semblance allows him to tap into a person's memories. Because of his profession, this makes it very easy for him to see what sort of trauma his patients may have suffered. He's highly recommended for any soldier who's seen some more darker things in combat. If we can ask him to show us that brute's memories, we can determine whether or not that really is the same blonde idiot we know."

"Well what are we waiting for, then?!" Ruby perked up and grabbed her partner by her non-injured arm. "Let's go!" Weiss was taken completely by surprise by the action. She couldn't even voice her plan, as Ruby had used her Semblance and bolted right out the door, leaving behind a trail of rose petals. The blonde sighed, shaking her head. "Might as well follow them."

"Yeah...just give me a minute." Blake grunted as she slowly pulled herself out of bed.

Yang moved over, helping her partner and steadying her to her feat. "You okay, kitty cat?" she asked. Though she meant it as a joke, she was clearly concerned. "Don't force yourself."

"I'll be fine, Yang," she said. "Just give me..."

"You know that isn't what I mean," the blonde said, narrowing her eyes. "You've been pushing yourself too hard lately."

The black-haired girl blinked. "W-what? I haven't-"

"Yes, you have. Ever since what happened with Torchwick, you keep looking over your shoulder like your expecting something bad is going to happen."

"Th-that's not..."

"Bullshit it isn't. You're being paranoid about this..."

The Faunus bit her lip. "Look, l-let's just go..."

Yang wanted to press the matter further, but she knew it would be pointless. Ever since what happened back at the docks, her friend had become distant. She even noticed that she was beginning to develop bags underneath her eyes. Ruby and that monkey Faunus had told her that the White Fang were there, and that Blake was disturbed...but did the idea of them working with a mobster like Roman Torchwick worry her that much?

For now, she put the matter on the back burner...but the conversation was not going to be forgotten.

* * *

"...Project Freelancer?" Ozpin repeated, a curious look on his face. "Hm, interesting...I've never heard of that project before."

"Neither have I," Krimzen said as he adjusted his spectacles. "From what I glimpsed into, it appeared to be some sort of military project. A man calling himself the Director referred to Mr. Arc as Agent Maine. From what I saw, it appeared that Mr. Arc had completed some sort of mission, but lacked any memories. I took another dive, but not too deep...if my guess is right, Oz, whatever happened in that boy's life must have caused some sort of mental block."

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Mental block?" she asked. "You mean...he's subconsciously repressing his memories?"

"Not intentionally...it's more like there's something keeping them blocked. What it is, I can't say." A sigh escaped him. "I have met many troublesome patients, but he is truly the greatest headache in my career."

That may be...but I still trust that you would be able to get to the bottom of this matter." Ozpin reassured.

The old man smiled. "I'll do my best," he said.

The door to the infirmary then opened, revealing a group of seven students. "What are you all doing here?" Glynda asked sternly, narrowing her eyes at them. "You should all be at your dorms, resting."

"Sorry Miss Goodwitch..." Ruby apologized. "But we all really wanted to see Jaune again."

"How is he?" Pyrrha asked, clearly worried. "He's not...badly hurt, is he?"

Ozpin smiled wryly. "I believe that question is the one I should be asking all of you, given your injuries," he said before answering her. "Regarding Mr. Arc's condition, he's stable. A few minor ones, but nothing too serious...except for the fact that he will never be able to speak." Instantly, their faces fell into horror. "According to Krim's diagnosis, the scar you saw on his neck was caused by nine point blank bullet wounds."

Their expressions became even more horrified. Nine point blank bullet wounds? How was he even alive?! "How is that even possible?!" Weiss cried, saying what they were thinking. "His Aura should have protected him, and even if it hadn't, it would have healed those wounds over time!"

"That is the problem..." Dr. Reed replied solemnly. "Somehow...his Aura is dormant once more."

Pyrrha frowned. "Dormant? Is that even possible?"

"Theoretically, yes. Aura can be locked down, but only if one is exposed to extreme, and quite unsafe if I might add, more dangerous levels of stress, anxiety, and most importantly, near death. Most of his memories are being suppressed, so I can't say what caused his Aura to become dormant." Dr. Reed then gave a worn smile. "Although...something tells me his memories are why you're here and not resting like your supposed to."

"Well...yeah...we wanted to confirm something ourselves."

Glynda frowned. "Then I'm afraid that it will have to wait. You are to return your dorms, immediately."

"Oh, come now, Glynda," Ozpin placated. "Let them say what they have to say." The blonde teacher turned to face him with large eyes, clearly shocked that he was willing to let them do as they pleased. He seemed to have a habit of doing that, if only for those he favored. "After all, Mr. Arc has been gone for two months, and the situation made it appear as if he had died on that mission. It's only fair of them to want to know of what became of him in those two months."

"Sir, with all due respect-"

"It's fine, Glynda," he told her. He then looked at Dr. Reed. "Well, Krim? Any chance they can see what happened?"

"It is possible...given we have the necessary equipment." The doctor replied.

"I'll have the staff bring it up," he said. "Now, in the meantime...let's discuss what exactly happened at the Forever Fall forest, shall we?"

* * *

After a month of resting, the teen, Maine, was allowed to leave after all of his examinations were complete. There was nothing wrong with him physically, though mentally, he was still suffering. He still couldn't remember anything, though the Counselor told him that it would take time. For now, he should focus on the present. Not long after he left the medical ward, the Director had brought him to a room and gave him his own personal armor. It was a pristine white, although a bit bulky. After he suited up, the Director dragged him away, saying that it was time to meet the rest of the members.

"Project Freelancer is a secret project," the Director told him. "Outside of the highest ranking military personnel in the UNSC, no one knows about our existence. After your brave act out in the field, it was decided that you would be apart of this project. To date, you are our 46th addition."

Maine's jaw slackened. "46th?" he asked. "There are only that many people in the project?"

"As I said, Agent Maine, it is a secret project," the Director stated again. "And you're going to meet the rest of the Freelancers. I will expect of you what I expect from the rest of my agents. Do we understand that?"

"Yes sir. Understood." The soldier nodded.

"Good." The man nodded curtly. At the end of the long corridor was a door, which Maine assumed led to where the other members of Project Freelancer were. The two stopped in front of it, and the Director looked at Maine. "After this, Agent Maine...there's no going back for you. Do you understand that?"

"...perfectly."

The man smiled thinly, and then the door opened, letting them step inside. The room was spacious, and obviously some sort of command center. The interior leading to the door itself was a small space, with the walls being nothing but monitors and consoles, though further on, the walls spread out, and were replaced by glass windows that revealed only the black void where the Mother of Invention drifted through, guided by the twinkling stars that made the sight so beautiful. At that space was a circular platform, no doubt where the Director would stand during operations, giving out orders and receiving new information. The monitors surrounded a large console that sat in the middle of the interior, which showed various different schematics.

Maine took notice of the various individuals that were inside this room, though only a few wore different colored armor, rather than the plain white ones he had been seeing walking around the ship. There were six of them, two of which wore purple armor with green highlights. They appeared to be twins, with blondish silver hair, and very good looks. The female looked antsy, and maybe a bit aggressive, while the male looked more laidback and casual. The third wore light brown armor, his hair was slicked back somewhat and had a more easygoing aura around him, evident by the smile he had on his face. The fourth wore black armor, though it had bright yellow highlights. He looked to be in his late twenties, with slight stubble on his chin, light brown eyes, and dark gray hair that was unevenly cut, giving him a roguish look. The fifth wore pristine white armor, different from the other white soldiers, and wore a helmet. He was sitting down, with a rifle leaning on his shoulder.

The sixth, however, took his breath away, as he stared at her with large eyes, his mouth turning dry. He had no idea why, but he felt like he should've recognized her. Fiery red hair tied up in a pony tail and bright green eyes.

"I see your all accounted for," the Director said sternly. "All except for Florida, I see."

"Yeah, but you know how he is..." The brunette commented with a shrug.

The man in purple armor chuckled. "Yeah, he can be a bit...you know," he said before noticing Maine. "He the rookie?"

"That is correct, North Dakota," the Director said. "This is Agent Maine. As of today, he will be joining Project Freelancer."

The woman in blue armor gave Maine a look, specifically focusing on his face. Then, she frowned in disapproval. "Sir, with all due respect...are you sure its okay for a kid to be joining this project?" he asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning your choices, but...this isn't exactly the best environment for kids."

"He may be young, but Agent Maine here has shown exceptional ability in the field." The Director answered.

The man in white armor chuckled. "Well, if he's got the skill, he's more than welcome," he said. Maine immediately noted the strange accent in his voice. "Good day, Agent Maine. Wyoming, at your service."

"Er...hi."

"He's British," the man in purple armor said with a grin. "Case you didn't know. Name's North Dakota, and the angry lady next to me is my sister, South."

"Hey!" South Dakota growled. "Who are you calling an angry lady?!"

"Just sayin, sis."

The man in black armor sighed, shaking his head before turning back to Maine. "Well...for what it's worth, welcome to Freelancer," he said before smiling. "I'm Agent Washington. I joined a couple of months ago. Nice to see another new face here."

"And I'm York," the man in brown armor introduced with a smirk. "Nice to meet ya, Rookie."

"Likewise..." The new recruit nodded in kind. He then turned to face the remaining soldier in the room, who was giving him a scrutinizing look. He couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated, though he stood his ground. The red-haired woman folded her arms, staring back at his red eyes. Eventually, she scoffed. "Whatever," she said before introducing herself. "I'm Agent Carolina." She paused, then glared. "Try not to screw up early on, alright rookie?"

"Sorry I'm late, everybody!" a voice called out from behind the Director and Maine. The two turned to see a man dressed in dark blue armor. His armor was far more light, and only seemed to cover less of his body, revealing a dark bodysuit. Slung over his right shoulder and across his chest was an ammo strap, with each pocket filled with one bullet. "I had to speak with Mr. Hendrickson about the status on the weapons project."

"And?" the Director asked, curious. "What did he say?"

"Should be ready in a few weeks, give or take," he said, shrugging before turning to Maine. "Oh! You must be the new rookie! Wow, your younger than I thought you'd be!" He offered a hand in greeting. "I'm Agent Florida, and I'm pleased as punch to meet you, Maine!"

"S-Same here..." Maine accepted his hand and shook it firmly, surprised by the lax behavior from the veteran soldier.

"Good, now your all here. Now we can begin."

"Begin?" York questioned. Then his eyes. "Whoa, wait...are you saying..."

* * *

"...a TV?" Nora questioned, staring at the large screen that sat next to Dr. Reed. "I thought we were gonna find out what happened to Jaune, not watch something on the tube?"

Dr. Reed laughed. "It's not a television set, dear girl," he said. "Rather, this is a holographic device."

"Holograph?" Ruby asked. Immediately, stars lit in her eyes. "Oooooooh, I know those! They're used in Atlas and Shade Academy for simulation battles!"

"Correct, Miss Rose..." The Doctor nodded. "Rather than simply explaining to you all what I've seen through my semblance...I believe it would be more appropriate to show you what happened to Mr. Arc."

"So, basically..." Ren said. "We'll witness what happened in his life."

"Correct," Dr. Reed nodded again. "However...I should warn you in advance. It appears that Mr. Arc's memories have been...damaged, in a word. Up to a certain point, everything is static. Thus, I can only show you the middle of his memories, not the beginning."

Pyrrha nodded. "That's fine," she said before her eyes fell on Jaune. Her green eyes fell into sadness. "All we want to know...is how he became like this."

"Of course, Miss Nikos...whenever your ready."

She looked to the ground. Everyone gave a nod. She then turned back to Dr. Reed, giving him the okay. The old man moved over to Jaune, and gently placed his hand over his temple. His other hand then moved to the monitor. He took a deep breath, and let out a calming exhale. Soon, a green glow began to emanate from his body, extending to both Jaune and the monitor. The black screen fired up, glowing vibrant teal. The machine hummed. The glow from the screen grew brighter. Eventually, it came to the point where it consumed the room, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

When the light faded...they were treated to quite the sight.

* * *

 _"For fuck's sake, Wyoming, will you stop with the knock knock jokes?!"_

 _While Maine was busy holding in his lunch, hanging near the trash can that was conveniently placed inside, York was quickly becoming annoyed with Wyoming's jokes. His helmet was gone, revealing a face befitting that of a gentleman, and matching his accent, along with a mustache that oddly seemed familiar, covering the upper lip and curling around._

 _"Knock knock," the mustached man said with a smirk, earning another groan from the brunette._

 _Florida answered, "Who's there?"_

 _"ENOUGH!" South snapped. "I swear, Wyoming, if you answer that, I will ram a sniper rifle so far up your ass the barrel will pop out through your mouth!"_

 _"...what did I tell you, kid?" North chuckled, standing next to the currently ill Maine, one hand over his mouth and one arm over his stomach. "Fun guys, am I right?"_

 _Maine chuckled nervously. "Y-yeah...I guess?"_

 _"Geez, you don't have to act so stiff all the time. Just relax. You're with friends here." The man said reassuringly._

 _"Alright, enough chit chat." Carolina snapped as she entered the interior. "We're going to reach the drop off zone in two minutes. You know what we're here for. The resistance cell has a base here, and we're taking it out. South, Washington, Wyoming, your with York."_

 _"Got it," the black-armored soldier nodded. He then sighed. "Why'd I get stuck with Wyoming...?"_

 _"North and Florida, your with me," the red-haired woman said before turning at Jaune. "You too, Maine."_

* * *

Ruby: Wow, she looks like Pyrrha!

Yang: Yeah, she does, doesn't she? You think she's her long lost sister?

Weiss: Who are these people? All of their armors are different...and where are they from? They don't look like their from Atlas.

Ren: Special Operations, maybe?

Weiss: I don't know. Winter would know more, I'd think.

Nora: Oooh...the white guy has an awesome mustache! It's like Professor Poop's!

Pyrrha: You mean Professor Port, Nora.

* * *

 _Maine let out a nod before he resumed trying to keep the contents of his stomach coming out from greeting him. Ever since the damned thing started moving, he felt sick to his stomach. He wished he could have remembered about having problems like this. It only got worse when the Pelican began to shake violently due to turblance. He let out another groan, clasping his mouth over his hand._

 _"You okay, Maine?" the blue soldier asked. "You look ready to hurl."_

 _"I, uh...don't think I'm good with flying."_

 _"Ah, I see. Motion sickness..." Florida nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, it's a more common problem than people realize. No need to fret, I'll grab you some carbonated soda to settle your churning stomach."_

 _Maine let out a grateful nod, and after calming himself a bit, he slipped on his helmet, then followed Florida over near the end of the chamber. The doors swung open, allowing for a view that would make any sane person question what the hell they had gotten themselves into. They must have been several thousand feet in the air, with a blue sea sitting below them, covered partially by white streams of clouds. A small dot lay in the center, likely where their objective was._

 _Carolina stood at the head of the group. "Alright people, let's move!" Without another word, she jumped out of the carrier. Following her was York, who grinned and winked at the Freelancers before falling backwards. Wyoming said nothing, instead leaping out with a jump. Florida followed soon after, only jumping out with a bit more flare, performing a spinning somersault. The twins looked at one another, and then jumped out in sync._

 _Maine gulped. "...too high," he muttered. "Too damn high."_

 _"Yeah," Washington laughed. Nervously, he might add. Obviously, even he was scared about jumping from this height. "It is, isn't it?" He fashioned his helmet on, made sure everything was in order, then patted the teen on the shoulder. "Well, kid...let's face our fears." Maine nodded, and braced himself. "On three. One, two..."_

 _He gulped._

 _"THREE!"_

 _Then they jumped. The Pelican flew out straight, letting their bodies hanging for a few seconds before they began falling through the air rapidly. The blonde couldn't help but panic slightly, wailing about as his body spun around in different directions._

* * *

Ruby: WHAAAAA! OH GOD OH GOD WE'RE GONNA DIE!

Weiss: Calm down you dolt! This isn't actually happening right now! It's just Maine's memories!

Yang: Still terrifying if you ask me! ...though you gotta admit, these people have style!

Weiss: Of course you'd think that!

Nora: Look Ren! We're standing in mid-air!

Ren: ...I'm more concerned about Jaune at the moment.

* * *

 _He managed to correct himself, but his heart was thumping. Soon, he joined his comrades, though he wasn't sure if he was screaming or not. He was too freaking terrified, and the roaring wind didn't help at all._

 _"YAAAAAHOOOOOOO!"_

 _Maine stared at Florida like he was a madman. Was he seriously whooping?! "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ENJOYING THIS?!"_

 _"HE ALWAYS DOES THIS!" South Dakota shouted over the roaring wind. "EYES UP ROOKIE! WE'RE LANDING IN TEN! USE YOUR JETPACK!"_

 _"AND MAKE SURE IT'S SET STRAIGHT!" York added. "EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT IN SPACE, KEEP IT ON STRAIGHT! UNLESS YOU WANT TO END UP LIKE GEORGIA!"_

 _"WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED TO GEORGIA?!"_

 _"NOBODY KNOWS!" South shouted back. "THEY NEVER FOUND HIM!"_

 _"WAIT, WHAT?!"_

 _"JUST GET READY!" North advised as they were getting closer to the ground._

 _'Distance to impact, three meters,' a synthesized voice said inside of Jaune's helmet. 'Initiating Jet system.'_

 _"JET SYSTEMS?!" Maine questioned over the roar of rushing air. His jet pack then sparked to life as the propulsion forced him upward. He nearly spiraled into a forward summersault, left hanging in the air. The others' jet packs activated, leaving them suspended._

 _"This is your first time using a jet pack, isn't it rookie?" South snarked._

 _"Y-yes!" Maine commented, trying to keep himself in balance. It looked harder than it looked, and he was absolutely terrified. For a moment, he was worried the thing would fail, and he would plummet to his death. "Oh god...oh god, okay...your safe, Maine, your safe."_

 _"Stay frosty kid." York advised as he floated over to the teen. "This is the easy part. Next comes the fun part."_

 _"Fun...part?" For some reason, Maine didn't really like the sound of that._

 _Wyoming chuckled. "Knock knock."_

* * *

Weiss: Ugh...why do I sense a Yang moment coming?

* * *

 _"Uh...who?"_

 _"Drop."_

 _"Drop who?"_

 _"Drop into the enemy base in a free fall."_

 _"...Wait, what?"_

 _'Mission Initiative Time, reached,' the synthesized voice in his head spoke again. 'Now deactivating jetpack systems.'_

 _Maine's heart dropped. "...oh no." Then, as one, all of the jet packs ceased to function. The Freelancers were left hanging in the air..._

 _...and then promptly began to fall._

 _"OOOOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"_

 _"SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!" Washington cried in tandem as the two newest recruits flailed in the air in a free fall._

 _The others, however, fell through the sky with style. Carolina tucked her arms to her sides, and placed her feet together, thus fell faster than the others, and in a nosedive. York had his arms and legs spread out, falling while learning forward. Wyoming fell with his back facing the group. Florida seemed to do the same, though his posture made it seem like he was napping. North and South took to Carolina's approach, falling in a nosedive with their arms at their sides and legs straight._

* * *

Yang: ...okay, now I'm starting to think that Maine is Jaune, if only because he's acting like how he did at Initiation.

Blake: Yeah, hard to forget him pinned to a tree because of Pyrrha.

Yang: Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that!

Ren: Unfortunately, I don't think anyone is going to help him stop at this rate.

* * *

 _The ground was fast approaching, and Maine and Washington had yet to stabilize themselves._

 _"We're coming in hot!" York shouted. "Hey! Wyoming! You brought that thing with you, right?!"_

 _The white-armored soldier smirked underneath his helmet, and whirled around. He whipped out a purple rifle. The make was foreign, not resembling any sort of weaponry used by the military. At the back of the weapon was a large green chamber, filled with some kind of fluid. With a pull of the trigger, a greet blast shot forward. It sped past Carolina, and struck their intended target; a landing platform. The structure seemed to be some kind of military base standing in the middle of the ocean, supported by several steel beams sinking down into the ocean depths. The facility wasn't large, but it had several large buildings and machinery scattered around._

 _Once the blast struck the ground, it seemed to explode, leaving behind a green gas that lingered. However, the gas also seemed to be some sort of liquid, flowing and dancing around._

* * *

Nora: Ooooooh, green goo!

Blake: I'm curious as to why they did that.

Ruby: Well, maybe it's some kind of goo that turns into a cushion or something?

* * *

 _Maine was panicking. Oh god oh god ooooh god he was gonna die! He was either gonna sink to rock bottom and die of drowning or of suffocation, or he was gonna die being flattened to death by hitting the ground! This was bad!_

 _Carolina hit the ground first. As soon as her form made contact with the green goo, her body nearly ceased all movement. She slowly fell to the ground, flipping her body around so that she would touch the pad feet first. Others followed, their bodies also slowing down and landing on their feet._

 _The two rookies were the last to touch the goo. Almost immediately, Maine felt his body slow down to a crawl. The transition in speed was sudden, but he didn't feel any jerking motions of slowing down so quickly from the free fall. At first, it felt like he just dove into a pool, and the water inside the pool was thickening to the point of gelatin. Slowly, he touched the ground flat on his body._

 _Washington landed on all fours. After a few seconds, the goo seemed to evaporate, almost into green mist. As it did, Maine found his voice again, which was sore from all of that screaming when he was flying through the air. "I feel sick..."_

 _"You and me both," Washington groaned. "Remind me again...why couldn't we have just dropped down here like we usually do instead of this?"_

 _York chuckled. "Ah, rookies," he said nostalgically. "I almost forgot. First time doing this for you too, huh Wash?"_

 _"Washington I get," South snorted. "But we sure Maine's legit? So far, he hasn't done anything impressive."_

* * *

Yang: What. A. Bitch.

Weiss: Well can you blame her? We haven't exactly seen anything worthwhile from the soldier.

* * *

 _"Hey, c'mon.' North nudged her. "If the Director recruited him, then he must've done something to catch his attention. It was the same with us too, remember?"_

 _"Eh, true...still think he's a wimp."_

 _Carolina turned and gave the woman a glare. "If you've got time to run your mouth, South," she snapped. "Then you've got time to move. You know the objective. Take out the military force in the base, take the data from the control room, and leave."_

 _"We know the drill, Carolina," Florida said. "Although, for clarification...when you say military force, which do you mean? The soldiers, the civilians, or both?"_

 _Carolina was silent. "...when I say military force, I mean MILITARY. That goes for the scientists working here as well."_

* * *

Pyrrha: Wait, what?!

Ruby: Why would she target the scientists too? Wouldn't they just have to attack the soldiers?

Weiss: Unfortunately, the scientists are part of the military, so they are also fair game.

Blake: I...can actually understand that. Doesn't mean its right.

* * *

 _Maine and Washington got to their feet, still groaning. Their stomachs were starting to settle, but the unpleasant feeling of something rising up their throats were still there. Still, Maine couldn't help but feel that the situation was oddly familiar to him. He wasn't sure why, though. Perhaps he had undergone something like this before? "O-okay," the black-armored soldier said weakly. "Which team handles the data mining?"_

 _"That'd be me," York said, chuckling. "Carolina's team will take down the major facilities. We're blowing this place sky high."_

 _"So, we're setting explosives to the vital parts of the compound?" Maine questioned._

 _Carolina nodded. "More or less," she answered. "The primary targets are weapon manufacturing facilities. This base is used to build and mass produce weapons for the Resistance. We take out this place, we can hit 'em. HARD."_

 _"R-Right!" Maine nodded as he pulled himself together. This was his first mission with them...he couldn't screw up. With that said, the group moved out. Maine, North, and Florida followed Carolina while York and the remaining others branched off from them. So...will all our assignments be like this?" Maine chose to ask his team mates."_

 _"Sometimes." Florida answered. "It all depends on the specific objective."_

 _"In this case," North supplied. "Take down guys inside of labs, and pretty much anyone who has a gun aimed at you."_

 _"Oh...O-okay..." Maine replied uneasily._

 _"Hey, don't worry so much, Rookie!" the purple-armored man said, grinning underneath his helmet. "Just stick to the plan, and everything will be fine."_

 _"Right...the plan...got it..." Maine couldn't help but feel like there was something seriously wrong here. Killing people? He was a soldier, so the idea should actually be easy for him...yet he felt his hands start to shake. Why? Why was this troubling him so much? Was it because they had orders to kill people? Or...was it something else? He wasn't sure what it was...but something that Carolina said disturbed him._

 _What did she mean by 'scientists?'_

 _"North," the red-haired woman called. "How many are here?"_

 _The man stopped, and placed his hand against his helmet. He moved his head slowly, as if peering out at something, scanning the area despite them being inside a corridor. "...I count thirty. Six up top, ten on our level. Most of them look like they're in the same spot in a room to the left side of here, and I count maybe 12 or 13 people to the far right."_

* * *

Ruby: Wait, how'd he know that?

Weiss: Probably thermal scanners. It's actually a common tool in the military. It lets you track heat signatures.

Ruby: Really? That's so cool!

* * *

 _"Alright..." Carolina said. "We'll split up and take out each group. Florida, you get the ten on this level. North, you take the group to the far right. Maine, you take down the six. I'll take care of the rest."_

 _Maine blinked. Wait, what? She wanted North to take down over ten guys? Sure, he was more experienced...but that seemed like an awful lot of soldiers. Florida had the same. And Carolina wanted to take down the remaining soldiers? "Um...okay."_

 _"Good," she responded. "Alright, F.I.L.S.S, give me a schematic for the place, and all the routes we can take."_

* * *

Yang: Filas? The heck is that?

Weiss: It's probably an AI. Atlas uses them all the time in the military.

* * *

 _"Affirmative." A Feminine, robotic voice resounded in the soldier's helmets. The images on their visors changed to accommodate for the calculated map data._

 _Maine looked at the map. The facility's interior wasn't all that complex, though some of the rooms were abnormally huge. He also took notice that the room where six of the hostiles were in had large cylinders, no doubt one of the labs that the teal-armored veteran had mentioned. He took out the shotgun strapped to his back, and gave it a quick inspection. He made sure everything was working perfectly, and double checked his ammunition. He then took a look at the schematic. The quickest way into the room was through the back entrance, which required him to go through the same room where Florida had to go through. It was the quickest and most efficient._

 _"Everyone know what their doing?" she asked them. Everyone gave a nod. She then faced forward, and raised her hand, showing a closed fist. "On my mark."_

* * *

Blake: Ruby, when the fighting starts, I think you should close your eyes.

Ruby: What? Why?

Blake: Have you ever seen people actually kill each other? And not in movies, but in actual combat?

Ruby: U-um...

Blake: This isn't the sort of stuff you need to see.

Yang: Yeah...just tune it out when the gunfight starts, okay sis?

Ruby: O-okay...

* * *

 _The group waited on baited breath. Their grips on their weapons tensed, their bodies pulsating and ready to go. Carolina opened her palm, and flicked it. Then they were on the move. Carolina and North went in the same direction, while Maine followed Florida, trailing from behind. They turned the corner as they branched away from their teammates, heading up the staircase found in the same path. Their boots pounded against the metal, echoing slightly. Soon, they reached the top floor. Out past the top of the staircase was an open entrance into what Maine assumed was another hallway, though Florida stopped, quickly moving into one of the corners. The blonde teen quickly bent down, using the staircase as cover._

 _Passing through were two soldiers, dressed in gray armor, and carrying standard UNSC rifles._

 _"Hey..." Soldier 1 asked._

 _"Yeah?" The other responded._

 _"You ever wonder why we're here?"_

 _"Uh..." Soldier 2 cocked his head. "What do you mean?"_

 _"Well, you know we're supposed to be fighting against corruption and all that, right?"_

 _"Yeah, and?"_

 _"Well...why are we sitting around here? I mean, really, the top guns hired us to protect this facility, but whats the point? I mean, why'd we get stuck with this job?_

 _"I don't know. Why?"_

 _"I mean, why are we here in a facility when we could be out fighting on the front lines? I mean, nothing ever happens here! No attacks, no explosions, nothing. Day in and day out...complete mundane boredom."_

 _"So...you're saying that you'd prefer getting into a battle where there is a high possibility of death, over a mundane patrol job?"_

 _"Yes!"_

 _"...alright, your funeral," Soldier 2 shrugged. "As for me, I like the peace and quiet...though I hate it whenever that asshole from command shows up. You know, the one with the bigass flamethrower?"_

 _"You mean Sharkface?"_

 _"The last time asshole came here, it was during that BBQ we had. Remember that? Supposed to be like a celebration."_

 _"Yeeeaaaah...?"_

 _"He burned down the whole thing! We were supposed to use the grill! Not the fucking flamethrower! He nearly burned down the facility! Who the hell does that?! Dammit, I lost my bunk and stash thanks to him!"_

 _"Wait, THAT'S what your pissed about?"_

* * *

Weiss: What?!

Pyrrha: ...is it possible that this 'Sharkface' is related to Nora? I vividly recall her mentioning doing something like that in the past.

Ren: She nearly did.

* * *

 _Florida looked over to Maine. He nodded, and readied himself The blue soldier held up a hand, holding up three fingers. He slowly began counting down._

 _Three. Two. One._

 _Mission start._

 _Florida popped out and aimed his rifle at the second soldier before pulling the trigger. Maine followed up and fired his shotgun at the other one._

 _*bang bang bang bang*_

 _*BANG*_

 _The first soldier was pumped full of bullets before he even had a chance to register what was happening. His body crashed against the wall, pumped full of holes before slumping to the floor, limp as a noodle. The shotgun shell blasted straight through the second soldier's chest, knocking him off of his feet and sending him against the wall. He gasped, blood gushing from his mouth before he slowly fell to the floor, his head rolling to the side._

 _He didn't get back up._

 _"They probably heard that, so let's get moving," Florida said as they quickly moved into the hallway. "You good to go, rookie?"_

 _Maine nodded, though his eyes fell on the soldiers. He felt bile rise up from the back of his throat, but pushed it down. "...y-yes, sir."_

 _This was no time for revulsion and shock. He had a mission to complete. He was a soldier, and he will not fail his squad and superiors. No matter how uncomfortable he felt about this._

 _That didn't mean the sight didn't sicken him._

 _Nevertheless, he had to suppress those feelings and continue with the mission. With that said, the two parted ways._

* * *

Weiss: See?! There's no way it's Jaune!

Yang: I dunno...something seemed off when he looked at the bodies.

Blake: I agree. It was as if he was disgusted and scared by the thought of killing.

* * *

 _Maine ran through the corridor, eventually reaching a corner. He skidded to a stop, and took cover behind it. Slowly, he peeked his head around it, searching for hostiles. He received readings on his screen, approximately six heat signatures within the room. He found no guards stationed outside the door, which was only a few feet away from him. He tapped the side of his helmet, and gave a quick look around the area. Based on what he saw, there were only two soldiers in that room, as their outline had a small protrusion around their side, no doubt the rifle. One was right next to the door, and the other was directly in front of it with his back turned. He took a deep breath, and stepped out, moving towards the room. He had to make this quick, and efficient. If he could take them down in less than three seconds, the chances of success would be influential. That and it would also lower the chances of being discovered by more troops, allowing him and the rest of his squad to complete the mission without unnecessary interference._

 _So without another thought, he opened the door and went in._

 _"Whoa, what the?!" he heard the nearest soldier cry right next to him. "Who the fuck are-?!"_

 _*BANG*The soldier was silent as he received a shotgun blast to the face. He crumpled in a dead heap._

 _"Wh-what the?!" the other soldier was also silenced. Before he even had a chance to bring up his gun, Maine rushed up, tore the weapons out of his hand, and knocked him to the floor. He slammed his foot down on the chest, pinning him to the floor, and aimed his shotgun to his helmet. The soldier stared at him with eyes, wide with fear._

 _*BANG*_

 _Then his face became unrecognizable from the shot. Maine once again felt the urge to vomit, his hands twitching violently. Even though this was his handiwork, it was still so...sickening. God, how could they deal with this? How did Carolina and the others handle this? Did the just...push it to the back of their minds to forget about it? He tried to push those thoughts down, and instead turned his attention to the remaining for individuals in the lab. They were dressed in lab coats, all wearing latex gloves and white coats. As soon as the gunshots echoed through the room with a deafening boom, they had backed away with their hands in the air._

 _"D-don't shoot!" one of them begged. "P-please! We're unarmed!"_

 _Maine kept his gun up, just in case. "Command, I'm here at the lab facility," he reported on the specified frequency. "Targets are neutralized."_

 _"Good," the Director said. "And what of the scientists?"_

 _"All civilians present and accounted for," he replied. "Carolina and the others are handling their own targets, sir."_

 _There was a pregnant pause, added with a disturbing silence. "...I see. Agent Maine, I do believe your orders were to eliminate any and all military personnel inside that facility. Including the civilians."_

 _Maine choked. "W-what?!" They wanted him...to kill the civilians?! But they didn't have a part in this battle! "B-but sir-!"_

 _"No buts Agent." The Director snapped._

* * *

Yang: Dude, the hell?!

Blake: he's forcing him to kill civilians?!

* * *

 _"Sir, with all do respect!" Maine tried to reason with his superior. "These people have nothing to do with this!"_

 _"They are working with the Resistance, Agent Maine," the Director replied with a cold voice. The tone sent shivers down his spine. "Regardless of whether or not they are innocent, they are our enemies."_

 _"B-But I can't-"_

 _"This is an order, Agent Maine. SHOOT. THEM. NOW."_

 _"But-!"_

 _"This is an ORDER, son," the Director hissed. "I don't care if you don't like the idea of killing soldiers, this is war. You WILL follow your orders."_

* * *

Pyrrha: N-no! That's horrible!

Ren: I can't believe he's making him kill them.

Nora: You stupid meanie! Don't tell Jaune what to do!

Yang: Yeah you jackass! Stop forcing him to kill innocent people!

Weiss: He can't hear us, remember? This is...a memory.

* * *

 _"I-I...I..."_

 _"Please!" one of the civilians begged. "I have a wife and daughter at home! I-I won't say anything, just please! Don't kill me!"_

 _"I...I-I..." His shotgun was trembling._

 _"I will not repeat myself again, Agent Maine..." The Director repeated coldly. "We are at war and we cannot show the enemy any mercy!"_

 _"Don't kill us! Please!"_

 _The screams and shouts and pleads ringed in his ears. The shotgun was heavy in his hands. The weight was almost unbearable. He looked at the people in front of him, seeing their faces. Horror. Fear. Tears running down their faces. The world fell silent to him. He heard nothing. Not their screams, nor the sounds of battle echoing around him. Time even seemed to slow down to him. Inside his helmet, Maine felt sweat running down his face, his breath hot and smothering him from the enclosed space. His heart was thumping loudly against his chest. He didn't want to do this. It wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. These people were only guilty of helping...so why? Why did they have to die?_

 _ **'Because it's war.'**_

 _The thought had made him grit his teeth. Those three words echoed in his mind, as if proving as some sort of clarity. War...he knew nothing of the experience, but he knew what it meant. What it entailed. He wanted no part of it...yet he knew it was useless. After all, he was already a foot deep in it now. He knew, in the future, that he would be in an ocean of blood. A future that he had chosen, willingly, to walk into. He had walked into it the day he had been thrusted into Project Freelancer, a choice that was not done by his free will. He was forced into it...because that was what it meant; being a soldier, you would step forward into hell, whether you wanted to or not._

 _And now...he sat in hell._

 _He braced himself for it. The emotion and terror it would bring to him. He raised his gun, aimed right at them, only increasing their panic. "Agent Maine, I will not repeat myself," the Director said. "Eliminate all military personnel inside that base."_

* * *

Pyrrha: No Jaune! Don't do it!

* * *

 _"...yes, sir," Maine answered, his voice devoid of emotion. Unknown to anyone, sans for those who would witness this memory, underneath the helmet, Jaune Arc was crying, his mouth trembling, and jaw locked into a position that made his mouth hurt, and his teeth threatening to crumble from how hard they were gnashing against each other. "I..."_

 _He squeezed the trigger._

 _"...I'm so sorry."_

 _*BANG_

 _The first scientist got his head blown off._

 _*BANG*_

 _The second received a gunshot to the chest._

 _*BANG*_

 _The third got shot in the throat._

 _*BANG*_

 _The fourth was shot in the leg, blowing apart his knee as he tried to run away. He fell on the ground in a pained cry, whimpering as blood gushed from his wounded limb. Almost robotically, Maine walked up to the downed scientist, who's cheeks were damp with spilling tears. The soldier swallowed his regret as he pressed the muzzle of his shotgun to the man's temple. Two words escaped his lips._

 _"...I'm sorry..."_

 _*BANG*_

 _His head was blown completely off, splattering nothing but red liquid and bloody bits of brain matter, flesh, and bone to the floor. Maine stepped away from the carnage he reeked, and the gun hanging limply at his side. He did nothing. Just stare and stare at the bodies. The eerie silence in the room only added to the creepiness to the scene, had anyone seen it. However, after ten minutes had passed, the actions seemed to register in the young soldier, as the gun dropped from his hand. He ripped his helmet from his head, and immediately doubled over. Green vomit spilled out from his mouth like a floodgate, oozing unto the floor and leaving behind a putrid and acrid taste and smell._

 _After several seconds, he just about emptied all of the contents from his stomach and was now dry heaving. Tears spilled from his eyes as his expression was twisted into one of sheer horror. "Oh god...oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgododgodohgodohgodohgododgodohgodohgodohgododgodohgodohgodohgododgod!" He clutched his head, his ears blocking out the screams and pleads that shouted in his head, the result of his actions. "IkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthemIkilledthem!"_

 _His mind was in a panicked frenzy, his heart was racing and he was not rolling on the ground, slamming it with his forehead._

 _What did he do...what did he just do...WHAT DID HE FUCKING DO?!_

'Someone...anyone...please...if this nightmare...please...WAKE ME UP!'

* * *

The memory sequence had ended there. The light faded away, seeping back into the monitor and fading away into black. Everyone in the room could not find it in themselves to speak after what they had just witnessed.

In fact, the girls were shaken up. Ruby's hood was pulled over her head, shielding her eyes away from what she had witnessed, all the while her hands were pressed against her ears. She was trembling, crouching down on the ground while a somber Blake sat next to her, comforting her with her hands on her shoulders, as if to try and cease the trembling. Yang stood there, a hand on her mouth while her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Her face had lost all color, clearly horrified and unable to believe what she had seen. Weiss had looked vastly disturbed, having chosen to look away from the carnage, but still looked disturbed by what she had seen. Nora was crying, hanging onto a shaken Ren, who held her in his arms. The ginger-haired girl's face was buried in his chest, while his chin rested atop her head, eyes shut.

Pyrrha, however, looked the worst out of them all.

Her expression was one of soul-crushing despair...her eyes empty and hollow as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Unable to support herself any longer, she collapsed onto her knees.

It was...her fault. She knew that, somehow, someway, what she just saw...was all her fault.

Because she couldn't save him.

* * *

The mission was done. The data had been retrieved, and all the soldiers were eliminated. The labs were utterly destroyed to ensure that they would never be used again, and the Freelancers were already on their way home. However, Maine had sat away from the rest of the group, holding his helmet in his hands, and staring back at his own reflection. "He looks dead to the world," South rudely commented, hanging back with her arms behind her head. "You'd think this was his first time shooting someone."

"It probably is, South." Her brother frowned at her. "That type of thing leaves that much of an impact."

"Then why the hell is he even here if he never shot anyone before?" She rebutted.

North sighed. "I don't know, and frankly, I don't care," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We don't question who the Director brings in, or why. Fact of the matter is, if he tells us to jump, we don't ask 'how high', we do it."

"He's got a point," York agreed with his friend. "Hell, we really don't know much about each other, mainly because we didn't care about our backgrounds. The only thing that mattered was the mission." He gave a dry laugh. "Isn't that what being a soldier means?"

Washington shook his head. "...just because we're soldiers, doesn't mean we can't be human."

"I know, Wash...but sometimes, we don't have a choice. Right Carolina?"

No response.

"Uh...Carolina?" He looked at the teal-armored woman that he had grown close to, finding her without her helmet and staring at Maine as if she were trying to solve a puzzle. "Hello, earth to redhead?" She ignored him. Instead, she moved past him, and moved over to Maine. "Uh...okay?"

"Don't look now, York," North chuckled. "But I think she's cheating on you."

"Pft. Yeah right. Young guys like him just aren't her type." York chuckled back.

"You never know~" Florida laughed. "Say, actually, now that you mention it...what kind of guy IS Carolina's type? I mean, she's gotta have one if she's in a relationship with THIS guy!"

"Hey!" York shouted, offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wyoming stroked his mustache, humming in thought. "Hm...perhaps someone who is confident in their skills, both in and out of bed?"

"Fuck you too, Wyoming."

"No thank you...I prefer the company of a lady, not a brute."

Carolina rolled her eyes. _'Men,'_ she thought, overhearing their conversation. Honestly, a bit of her felt somewhat offended. She made a mental note to punch Wyoming later...though while she wouldn't ever admit it, York w _asn't_ as good in bed as he thought he was. He was a total and utter bedhog, and too much of a pansy to even try anything. Then again, that's what she loved about him. Nice and gentle. She walked up to the emotionally dead blonde sitting away from them, carrying her helmet in her arm. "Hey," she called out, causing Maine to jump. "You okay?"

"I...I don't know..." The rookie shook his head. "It's just...crazy..."

The red-haired woman sat down next to him. "Yeah, the first mission with us tends to leave that impression," she said. "Although...was this really...your first time killing someone?"

Maine shook his head. "I...don't know," he answered truthfully, earning a confused look from her. "After the last mission, I got seriously banged up. I can't really remember anything after I woke up in the med bay. The Counselor said it was because of head trauma, but I don't know." He stared back at his reflection, his red eyes seeming to glare back at him. "Does it...get easier? Killing someone, I mean?"

The female agent stared at him for a moment before sighing. "In all honesty...not really. While you eventually grow numb to the killing, it never makes it any easier. But remember, we don't kill because we want to...we only kill because we have to. If we don't, then other innocent people could be endangered because of the enemy."

"...I still don't like it."

Carolina smiled thinly. "You want the honest truth, Maine? None of us do," She paused, then laughed. "Except maybe South. If you haven't noticed, she's a real bitch...don't tell her I told you that."

"Heh...got it..." Maine smiled thinly, letting out a weak chuckle. While he was still struggling to cope with the killing, he was grateful for his leader trying to help him out.

He still couldn't help the feeling that she seemed familiar to him though.

* * *

 _"These A.I., they all come from somewhere; they are all based on a person. Our Alpha, was no exception. And while the law has many penalties for the atrocities we inflict on others, there are no punishments for the terrors that we inflict on ourselves. So you send your men. They won't find themselves a fight. They'll only find an old man. An old man tired, but satisfied he did his duty. An old man weary from a mind more filled with memory, than it is with hope." -Leonard Church_

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay...so originally, this chapter, or at least a portion of it, was meant to be the conclusion of chapter 1, but as we worked on it more and more, me and Daemon decided to make it a separate chapter. That's pretty much the only reason this chapter is out so damn fast.

As you can see, thanks to the work of the OC, Krimzen Reed, who I will assure you will only be featured in this arc only, showing them Jaune/Maine's memories. This is meant to act as a sort of character development for both the girls, and for Jaune, showing HOW exactly he came to be as Agent Maine during the events of the Project Feelancer Saga. The italicized portions, for future reference, are the segments being viewed by Team RWBY and NPR. In that sense, it's...also kind of like a reaction fic. Hope that doesn't turn people off. I'm also trying to properly capture their reactions to Jaune's past.

Anyway...bet none of you saw THAT coming. Jaune actually being forced to kill people. You know, that is really one of my pet peeves about RWBY. Don't get me wrong, its an awesome show...but do NONE of these people understand that they are not just dealing with Grimm?! I mean, c'mon! They've even stated in the World of Remnant miniseries that there are assholes in the world who want to make people's lives miserable (yes, I am looking at you, Raven, if what I've heard on the net is to be believed). Grimm are HARDLY the only threat these kids will have to deal with. Your gonna have to deal with people like Roman, the White Fang, maybe even Cinder. Its a fact. The fact that you are training kids to be warriors, but only in the art of dealing with monsters, kinda pisses me off...so yeah, viewing Jaune's memories is also going to serve as a reminder that Grimm are not the only threat here.

Now, with that out of the way...lets go over some stuff.

The Fight with Pyrrha - As one reviewer mentioned, Pyrrha should have had the obvious advantage over Jaune, both before and after she learned who was under that helmet. Her Semblance pretty much makes her almost untouchable if your using metal. However, going back to my pet peeve, these kids are trained to fight monsters, not actual people. True, Pyrrha's had to fight human opponents, but never ones that have tried to kill her, something Maine was trying to do. Also, because this is Jaune, who was familiar with her fighting style, and even though he doesn't have any memories of her YET, he knew how she fought, so he naturally knew, instictively, about her Semblance. His time as a Freelancer gave him an edge over her, if only in combat ability, and his knowledge about her Semblance did help again somewhat as well. Plus, when your fighting the boy you love (seriously Pyrrha, just be honest with yourself instead of doing what you did in Vol. 3), you tend to be hesitant.

Atlas Possibly After Maine's Armor - Ooooooh yeah, this is definitely gonna happen. Especially when Ironwood comes into the picture and becomes overly paranoid about a trained killer in Beacon's halls and proving to be a possible threat. The armor's abilities would definitely catch the interest of the military, and possibly even the Vale council. However, I really doubt they'd be able to reverse engineer most of the stuff on that thing. Sure, they're pretty advanced, but not as advanced as the UNSC, or Project Freelancer, an extreme Black Ops project/organization, for that matter.

Well, I think that's everything. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Later, losers! I'll see you guys next time!

P.S: Review this chapter with the utmost honesty, or I will sic an angry Michael J Caboose on your ass. Or, as one reviewer suggested, an angry Tex. Pick your poison boys!


	3. Chapter 3

_"The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." -Monty Oum_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 3: Agent Maine

"TRAINING SEQUENCE, LEVEL 2, NOW ACTIVATED."

The large room rumbled, transforming from a large open space befitting that of an arena to what could only be described as a death trap. Giant, broad pillars rose up from the ground, as if to resemble skyscrapers. Smaller, thinner pillars also rose up, rotating up from the ground while protrusions stuck out, almost like the rotational training dummies you'd see in a gym, only now in increased size. Maine stood in front of the newly made landscape, his grip on his shotgun firm while he calmed his breathing. His heart rate was slowly steadying, and his muscles tensed, awaiting the upcoming tension he would throw himself into.

"SIMULATION NUMBER B-274 WILL BEGIN IN T-MINUS 30 SECONDS."

He gave his weapon a quick inspection. Everything was in working order, parts were working fine, fully loaded. He gave it a quick pump, causing the shotgun to click in response, much to his pleasure. Over the past few weeks, he had grown quite fond of that sound, as...disturbing as it was to admit.

"12...11...10...9..."

He placed his shotgun on his back, and then checked his magnum. He pulled back the slider and checked the chamber, and double-checking if he had enough ammo. As per standard training drills, he had six clips of Magnum ammo, and roughly three packs of shotgun shells. Should be enough. He was also given two regular grenades, and three frag grenades.

"6...5...4...3...2...1..."

He cracked his shoulders, and fell into a stance. "Showtime."

"...0. TRAINING WILL NOW BEGIN."

A loud siren blared. The room flooded with dark blue lights, signifying that the simulation had begun. As soon as the buzzer went off, his feet pounded against the floor, charging straight inward towards the first pillar. He slowed to a stop and pressed his back against the cool stone, hiding within the shadows. His opponent in this match is specialized in reconnaissance, meaning they were skilled in stealth. He couldn't just charge head on, he needed a planned approach to close in and strike. His HUD screen displayed the time. This simulation had a time limit of ten minutes. Supposedly, the faster he completed it, the more points he would receive, and his spot on the leaderboard would increase...but frankly, he didn't care about that. Since when did ranking mean anything? What mattered was his objective. So what if he wasn't as popular as the others? With that in mind, he closed his eyes, and thought of the possible scenarios this could play out.

He was hidden behind a large structure, but his opponent is stealthy and observant. There is a chance that they'll set up a sniper position and wait for him to move first. If he moved out, he would be left open, and she would strike. His mind processed probable sniper positions. There was a tall building on other side of his cover. If he moved to either side, he was at risk of getting hit. However, he also had to consider the idea of his opponent flanking him and attack while he was still behind cover. A feint to keep him there while she swept around to strike him while he was pinned.

There were so many variables...which one was the correct course? Moreover, who would fire the first shot?

If he fired first, he would give away his position. The same could be said for his opponent. The clock was ticking, and one of them had to make the first move.

 _'Well...nothing ventured, nothing gained.'_

He took out one of the grenades from his clip. He was still a bit unused to these things, preferring a gun or at least some sort of melee weapon. Now that he thought about it, a sword or a shield would be pretty cool. Hm, maybe he could talk to someone from the R&D department? If they had one, anyways. He removed the pin from the grenade, and tossed it out from his cover.

The item flew through the air before hitting the wall of one of the buildings with a soft ting. A few seconds later, it erupted in an explosion of fire and shrapnel.

Maine gave a small tap on his HUD screen. There were no changes, but he had to have spooked them somewhat. With that in mind, he moved out of his cover, and out into the open. He remained vigilant and kept attention to his motion tracker, just in case his opponent decided to start moving. He made his way up one of the spires, quickly running up the spiral staircase before becoming situated at the top. Once again, he tapped his HUD screen, and took a look around. If they were out in the open, their heat signature would be visible to him. If they were still inside, though, the simulation room's walls would keep him from viewing them.

"Where are you...?"

Behind him, the click of a gun was heard. "Right behind you, rookie." Maine remained still, but inside his helmet, he sighed. Son of a bitch. "Not a bad idea, using the grenade to try and lure me out...though if you wanted it to work, you should have stayed where you were. Not that it would have mattered. I was right behind you the whole time. You really were an easy target. Now, Maine, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way...which do you prefer?"

"...who ever takes the easy way out?"

He whirled around, and grabbed the gun, a mid-range assault rifle, and aimed it away, letting the bullets impact on the ground rather than at him. He then reared his head back and delivered a headbutt. His opponent staggered from the sudden head trauma, but Maine did not stop there. He then grabbed her arm, pressed a hand to her solar plexus, and tossed her over his shoulder before slamming her into the ground. However, she wouldn't stay there for long. Before he could pin her into submission, she swung her leg, catching his foot and knocking him off balance, and thus causing him to fall to the floor. She then made a move for her assault rifle, but a loud bang shot through the simulation room. A bullet knocked the rifle away, causing it to fall from the spire and clatter to the ground. She looked behind her, and found Maine on the floor, a magnum in his hand. He then took aim, and began to open fire at her.

The woman side-stepped another bullet before breaking out into a run for the nearest shelter, which so happened to be the nearest building. Maine pulled himself up but kept his magnum at ready.

He had to be cautious here. One false move could mean the end of him. With that in mind, he cautiously entered the building. Since the simulation room recreated certain environments mixed in, in order to handle unpredictable scenarios and whatnot, the building seemed to be some sort of old lobby. What, he couldn't say. He did notice the shelf of liquor bottles, so it must have been a bar, or at least a shop of some sort. He opened his HUD screen again, hoping to find her.

He wished he hadn't, as it left his guard down for at least a second. Enough time for a shock baton to come in and strike him in the face. His overshield protected him from any damage, but the attack came so swiftly and out of nowhere that it caused him to stumble back, nearly tripping on his feet. His opponent then charged at him again. She started off with a kick to the knee to weaken his footing before bringing a fist down to his shoulder to send him collapsing to the ground.

She raised her baton above her head, ready to knock him out. Maine's hand whipped out and grabbed it as she swung. The overshield fluctuated somewhat, due to the sparking that went wild in his hand. He let out a low growl, and delivered a solid punch to her solar plexus. "Guh!" The soldier choked as the air was forced out of her lung by the heavy blow. She crumpled from the strike, allowing Maine to grab her leg and proceeded to swing her around the room. She was helpless, almost like a rag doll. Eventually, he released his grip on her, and sent her flying across the room. Her body smacked against the wall, creating a small indenture. A pained groan escaped her lips as she held her head, which was still intact thanks to her helmet, and then looked up, seeing Maine cracking his knuckles.

"Up for round 2?" he asked, almost mockingly. She grit her teeth and slammed back up to her feet, and then charged at him. It was a mistake on her part. Once she got close enough, Maine grabbed her by the shoulders and tossed her over him. Then, with a spin, he rammed his foot into her chest, knocking her back outside. She tumbled a bit before she came into a crouch. She shrugged off the damage, and looked up, finding Maine charging at her. When he was in close, she vaulted over him, hopping over him as if she were playing a game of leap frog, causing him to be thrown to the ground. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, she looked around.

Her assault rifle was not far from her.

She glanced back at Maine, who got up and turned to look at her. His gaze found her weapon, and then went for his weapon. She acted quickly, and tossed a frag grenade at him. The white armored soldier ceased his previous action and took cover from the explosive object. The grenade hit the ground, and exploded moments after. Maine slid behind a nearby small square, big enough for him to crouch behind. He checked his ammunition and weapons so far. He still had his shotgun, and a few grenades on hand. He still hadn't wasted much of his magnum bullets. Slowly, he peered around the corner, only to curse and reel back, as he soon came under fire.

 _'Great, I'm stuck behind a block, and now she's got her gun back,'_ he thought sarcastically. _'Nice way to start off the day, Maine.'_

He checked the time, and the simulation battle was half way over. _'Well...you know what the say. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.'_ He slowly turned his head to peer around, and opened his HUD screen. His opponent's heat signature was hiding behind a pillar. _'Gotcha!'_ Maine smirked as he pulled out a grenade and threw it in its direction.

A bullet struck it, causing it to explode. In that same movement, Maine tossed a frag grenade of his own. The object was hidden by the smoke of the explosion and the enemy didn't notice until it landed by her feet. His opponent was about to emerge from her hiding place, ready to fire, until she noticed the grenade on her feet. Then, she cursed.

"...son of a bitch."

As soon as she finished speaking, the grenade exploded in a mass of blazing shrapnel. Her overshield suffered, nearly dropping to the red before she was thrown off of her feet, and sent to the floor. Disoriented from the point blank explosion, she shakily pulled herself up...only to be greeted with the barrel of a shotgun in her face. "...so, you want to say uncle," Maine asked. "Or do you want a shotgun shell to the face?"

"...Heh...you got me, kid...not bad." His opponent sighed, resting their head. "F.I.L.S.S, end match. I forfeit."

"Affirmative." The robotic, female voice announced. "The match goes to Agent Maine."

The simulation ended, signaled by the buzzer. The room then began to shift back to normal, buildings and spires and pillars slowly receding back into the ground. Meanwhile, Maine sighed in relief as he lowered his shotgun and offered his hand. "Sorry if I roughed you up, Connie."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," the brown-armored Freelancer groaned as she took his hand, pulling herself up. "I'll tell you the same thing I tell Wash. It's C.T, not Connie."

"Sorry, it's a force of habit, I guess..."

The woman waved off his concern before she took off her helmet, revealing a woman of fair skin and chocolate eyes and hair, with the left side swept back while the right side was left down, covering some of her face. "Well, whatever," she said before a ghost of a smile formed on her face. "Hey, at least you're getting better...by 2.5 seconds."

"Yeah, I guess..." Maine removed his own helmet, revealing his golden locks. It had been about a week or so since he had completed his first mission as a Freelancer. Since then, he had been doing the best he could to try and block out the images of the dead scientists. Just thinking was enough to cause his hands to shake, even now. He shook his head, trying to block them out, but it was still a lasting impression. Carolina had told him that killing was never easy...but he still wished he hadn't had to kill them. How exactly did siding with the Insurrectionists make them the enemy?

"Hey," C.T called out. "You okay?"

Maine forced a smile. "Yeah...just thinking about stuff is all." Then he remembered something the Counselor had told him yesterday during one of his check ups. "Oh, um...thanks."

C.T raised an eyebrow, shifting her helmet to under her arm. "Thanks?" she asked. "For what?"

"W-well, the Counselor said that you were the one who found me after my last mission before I got thrown headfirst into this stuff," he told her, causing her eyes to widen. "You brought me back to the med bay after the mission was over, so I figured I should thank you...C.T?" He frowned, noticing the disturbed look on her face. "Are you...okay? You look like there's something wrong."

"Huh? N-no. Nothing's wrong. Just spaced out for a moment." The female soldier shook her head.

"You sure?"

"Agent Maine," F.I.L.S.S spoke, her voice echoing across the room. "Your presence is required in the briefing room."

Maine sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Great...this should be fun," he muttered before turning around to leave. "Well...see you around, Connie." He gave her a small wink, causing her to groan as he left.

"It's C.T, you dunce," she muttered. Seriously, it was two freaking letters. How hard could it to be to actually call her that? At any rate...what the hell? Saving him? Rescuing him from the last mission? "The fuck did they-"

"It would appear Agent Maine's combat prowess is steadily improving," a familiar voice called out from behind. She turned, and immediately felt disgust and anger boil in her chest. Aiden Price stood behind her, having walked into the room moments earlier, still looking the picture perfect of calm and composed secretary. "His reaction time is 4.9 times better than when before he joined Project Freelancer, and his physical strength by 9.3 times. Then again, you've seen the fruits of this, haven't you, Agent Connecticut?"

The woman turned forward to face him. "...permission to speak freely, sir."

"Hn, granted."

"...what the hell did you people do to him?" Aiden still smiled peacefully, even when faced when an enraged form of what could be called feminine fury. "He just said, 'saved him from his last mission before joining Project Freelancer.' Last I recall, I found him taking down several armed soldiers, who were trained UNSC operative might I add...with nothing but a fucking sword and shield."

The man known as Agent Maine was an anomaly. Not only did he defeat numerous trained soldiers with primitive weapons, but he managed to shrug off each bullet fired at him and healed from his wounds at a rapid rate.

"...the director saw potential in him." The counselor responded calmly. "Potential that could prove to be an asset for Project Freelancer."

C.T gritted her teeth. Of course he would give her a half-assed answer! "You didn't answer my question, Mr. Price."

Aiden gave a small shrug. "All we did was give his body...a push in the right direction," he told her. She already knew what his words meant, just by 'body' and 'right direction.' "At any rate...you're presence is required at the docking bay. You and Agent South will be leaving for a mission."

"Fine," the agent snapped. She stomped passed him, rudely clashing with his shoulder as she threw on her helmet. Her hands balled into fists. As if the operations they were doing weren't bad enough...they actually did that to a kid. A 17 year old kid!

She needed to tell "Leader," and fast.

* * *

Team RWBY sat in their room in silence. No one dared to speak, much less look at each other. Ruby sat in her bed, her face buried softly in her pillow while Yang sat on the floor, her head dipped low. Blake was trying to read a book, but the look on her face showed that her thoughts prevented her from actually enjoying it. Hell, she hadn't even turned the page for a good twenty minutes. Weiss was pacing around the room, biting her thumb nail with a clear sign of aggravation.

They were all anxious. Why wouldn't be? They just saw their friend kill civilians because he was ordered to. None of them could still actually believe what they saw...but they weren't sure who was more disturbed. Jaune, or them. They could still hear him vomiting and crying like a madman, unable to believe his own actions. There was no way that the man they saw in the memories and the man that tried to kill them in Forever Fall could be the same person. If so, then what happened to him?!

"...it doesn't make sense," Yang heard Weiss mumble. "It's a total contradiction."

Blake, now aware she would never be able to read her book with her mind like this, set it down and looked at Weiss. "What is? The fact that Maine tried to kill us back at Forever Fall, but was puking after shooting innocent people?"

"Yes!" she said, a bit too loudly for her part. She realized that she had been working herself up by thinking about this, as her breathing as heavy and erratic. She took a minute to clam herself down before speaking. "When we fought, he certainly had no qualms about killing us. He would have nearly succeeded if Pyrrha hadn't done something. And yet, what we saw in his memories...he acted like he was, well-"

"He acted like Jaune," Ruby mumbled, loud enough for her team to hear. "Like he used to be."

"That still can't be possible!" Weiss shook her head. "I refuse to believe Jaune turned into...turned into that brute!"

"And I keep telling you, it is!" Ruby insisted, sitting up with eyes of defiance. That had surprised Yang. When had she last seen her baby sister so worked up? "That is Jaune! Even Pyrrha, Ren and Nora think so!"

"They must've been delusional!" Weiss was still in denial. "Just because he looked similar to Jaune, they could just be mistaking that it is him! Besides, Jaunes eyes are blue! That brute's are red!"

Yang scratched the back of her head. "Well...I dunno...maybe Ruby's right," she said causing Weiss to stare at her slack jawed. "He DID have motion sickness up on that Bulkhead-lookin' thing. We DID call him Vomit Boy for a reason. That, and...I don't know, something's been nagging at me for a while now. I don't know what it is, but...it's like, somehow, there's just something WRONG with that guy."

"Of course there is! He tried to KILL us!"

Blake hummed, tapping her finger on her chin. Several thoughts came to her, one less plausible than the last. She wasn't entirely sure which idea would have been the most feasible. However, one thought nearly caused a shiver to run down her spine. "...maybe Maine was justified in his actions," she said slowly, the figure of someone clear in the back of her mind. "And ended up a monster because of it."

"What does that mean?" her partner asked.

Blake sighed. "Do you...remember what I told you before? About my old partner?"

"Yeah...Taurus, right?" Yang nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Actually, who was he anyway? Your boyfriend or something?" A teasing grin formed on her face. "I noticed a sketch of someone with bull horns~" Blake fell silent. It only took the blonde a moment to realize that what she had just said was actually right on the nail, causing her to stare in disbelief. "...wait, seriously?" Blake gave a quiet nod, making the brawler blink. "Wow, uh...okay?"

"Adam was...well, he was justified," she tried to reason. Whether with Weiss, who hated the White Fang immensely, or with herself, being so horribly reminded of how brutal the man she once called her friend was, she didn't know. "Out of all the Faunus who suffered from prejudice, Adam took it the worst. You could say he was justified in agreeing with the new Fang's ideals...but then he turned out to be a monster. He stopped caring about others. He thought his goals were what was best for Faunus in general."

Ruby frowned. "And...you think that's what happened to Jaune?"

"I think that's what happened to Maine," she corrected her leader. "Then again, it's just a guess. We'd have to see more. Actually," Then her amber eyes frowned in concern. "How's Pyrrha?"

"Not too well to be honest..." Weiss shook her head. The Spartan and her team mates were still visibly shaken up by what they had witnessed. "From what Ren told me, Pyrrha's locked herself in the bathroom, Nora hasn't stopped crying, and Ren well...even I could tell he was shaken up." The normally quiet teen had a hollow look in his eyes the last the heiress saw him.

"Well, I don't blame him," Yang muttered. Just then, she heard her Scroll ring. She took it from her pocket and opened it up. Her eyes softened. "...it's Pyrrha. She...wants to look at his memories again."

"Now? But we just finished one...isn't she moving too quickly?"

Ruby bit her lip. "Can we...even continue handling this?" she asked, her voice quivering. "I...I don't...I don't want to see Jaune hurting himself."

"Neither do I, Rubes..." Yang rest a hand on her shoulder. "But we need to learn more about what happened to him."

The silver-eyed girl gave a small nod, and then hopped down from her bed. Then, the four girls left their room, making their way to the infirmary, where NPR was no doubt waiting for them.

* * *

"Now then...as you know, the Insurrectionists have been steadily increasing their attacks as of lately," the Director said, staring at the three Freelancers in front of him. "While the outposts haven't been of any significant importance, they're becoming something of an annoyance." He gave a quick tap on the console, creating a holographic image of a complex. "We've managed to locate one of their bases. The three of you are to take whatever data you can rip from the console, and then destroy the facility."

Carolina gave a nod. "Understood, sir," she said with strong resolve. "When do we leave."

"Effective immediately."

"Understood." The top Freelancer nodded.

With that said, the Freelancers left the room.

"Another mission already," Washington whined. "Man, sometimes I think they like running us haggard."

"I just hope we don't have to do what we did last time," Maine muttered. "I think I'm scared of heights after that drop."

Carolina rolled her eyes. "Oh, quit being a baby, Maine."

"Hey! Motion sickness is more common than you think! Especially heights! Just ask Florida! He said the same thing!"

"I know, right?" Wash agreed with him.

Carolina shook her head. "I swear," she sighed. "Look, ladies, quite frankly, I don't care if your scared of heights or if you start barfing because you're flying. We have a mission to do, so suck it up."

"Remind me," Washington deadpanned. "How did you and York hook up again?"

"One more word Wash, and I'm pushing you out of the Pelican." She spoke with finality.

That got the man to shut up. Eventually, they entered the hangar bay, where the Pelican waited for them. Leaning against one of the crates nearby was a soldier, female going by her figure, wearing polished white armor with a blue visor on her helmet. Her arms were folded over her chest before she noticed the three. "Yo, what took you guys?" she asked, pushing herself off the crate.

Carolina smiled. "Hey, Four," she greeted. "She primed and ready?"

"Almost. Just loading on a few more pieces of tech, and you're ready to go," she answered before she saw Maine. Curious, she looked at Carolina. "He the new guy?"

The red-haired Freelancer nodded. "This is Agent Maine. He joined last month."

"No foolin? Well, I guess it was your Day, Wash. You're no longer the Rookie."

The dark-gray haired man sighed. "Whoopie," he muttered. "Soooo relieved."

Four chuckled before turning to Maine. "Nice to meet ya. I'm your personal pilot for whatever shit comes your way...by the way, I heard you have stomach problems. That true?"

"Y-yeah, wh-"

"You puke in my Pelican, I'm tossing your ass in space," came the swift and blunt reply that made Maine take a step back, clearly fearful. "We clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am!" Maine saluted. Now he had to be extra careful in holding down his lunch...

"Good," Four nodded, pleased with his answer before turning to Carolina. "We'll head out once we're loaded, Carolina."

"Fine by me."

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Pyrrha?" Ruby asked once they entered the infirmary. "You don't have to stress yourself."

The spartan warrior shook her head. "I-I'm fine, Ruby. Really, I-"

"As a doctor, I'm afraid I will have to call bull on that," Reed called, checking the equipment next to the unconscious Freelancer. "Your eyes are slightly red, there are dark rings under your eyes, and your skin has pale. You've practically been trying to cry yourself to sleep since yesterday, haven't you?"

The red haired Spartan but her lip and turned away.

"That's what I thought..."

Ozpin frowned. "Ms. Nikos, are you certain?" he asked. "Doctor Reed has told me what else lies in store...it won't be a pretty sight."

"I am fine. I can keep going." She shook her head.

The group could only stare at her in worry. They knew she wasn't alright. Not after what she had seen. She had been beating herself up as is when she lost Jaune...and now it only grew worse when she saw him claim a human life.

Yet, she still persisted. "...very well then," the Headmaster sighed before nodding to Reed. "Doctor Reed, if you would."

* * *

 _"The desert?"_

 _Maine asked as he and his two other comrades were strapped into the Pelican as it flew through the air._

 _Washington nodded. "Yep. According to intel, that's where the base is."_

 _"Yeah but...why a desert? That's pretty...I don't know...desolate."_

 _"Which is exactly why the Insurrection chose it." Carolina replied._

 _"It's away from any UNSC outposts, so no one actually ventures out that far. It makes it the perfect outpost."_

 _Maine frowned. "Then how did we find it?"_

 _"Connie was out on recon one day, and found it completely by accident," Washington told him. "A real stroke of luck." A pause, then a sigh. "I just hope everything goes well. Knowing our Freelancer luck, though, probably won't and it's gonna be heavily fortified."_

 _Underneath her helmet, Carolina grinned. "Just makes it more fun."_

 _"Maybe for you. But show some consideration for those not at your level, boss." Wash frowned._

 _"Actually...I've been to ask something," the white-armored Freelancer said, now being reminded of the thing in the briefing room. "What exactly is the leaderboard for? I thought everyone on Project Freelancer worked as a team, not against each other in a competition." It was an honest question. If each Freelancer was competing against one another for the top position, it just seemed to contradict the concept of teamwork._

 _"Been wondering that myself," Washington grumbled. "Seriously, Maine's got a point. What's the point of that thing?"_

 _"It is the Director's decision." Carolina answered curtly. "He believed that in competitive scenarios, one will be able to improve themselves."_

 _The blonde-haired soldier wondered if that was really the case. True, that scenario would call for improvement...but at the same time, it would cause the group to drift apart. It was a contradiction...one that didn't make sense. Oh well, he could wonder about that later. For now, there was the mission. The good news so far was that he was able to hold down the contents of his stomach even though he was riding on a Pelican...he was sure it was partly because of 479er's threat. The woman was clearly in love with her machine, so he made sure to keep himself from puking, lest he find himself headfirst in sand._

 _Several minutes later, they were nearing the Insurrection base._

 _"Alright, boys and girl, time for a shootout," 479er informed them from the cockpit. "I'll drop you at the ground, but don't expect me to come for your corpse if you die!"_

 _"...she's joking, right?" Maine turned to ask Wash and Carolina._

 _Washington gave him a forlorn look. "With her as our pilot...no." Maine then gulped in anxiety. He now realized 479er was one scary woman..._

 _Soon, the Pelican began to descend to the sandy earth below them. The hatch opened up, allowing dust and wind to blow inside. "The enemy base is a 30 miles from where you are," 479er shouted to them. "Shouldn't take you long to get there!"_

 _"Got it!" Carolina said in gratitude. "Thanks, Four!"_

 _"Just come back alive, Carol! Don't wanna see my favorite Freelancer in the obituaries!"_

 _The female agent nodded as she and the others hopped out of the aircraft. Their feet came to the gritty sand with a soft thud and crunch. The surrounding area's sand was being blown away as the engines of the Pelican began to propel air out forward, taking off back into the air._

 _It was at the point that he registered what he just heard. "...Wait, 30 miles away? How do we reach there on foot?"_

 _"Its better that way," Carolina said. "Besides, if she landed any closer, they would have found us." She then walked past the two, her guns hanging from the holster. "Come on. Let's go."_

 _Washington gave a nod, and followed behind her. Maine was still a bit confused, but then sighed in resignation. He just hoped that he wouldn't get any sand in his shoes._

* * *

"That's a pretty long trek," Yang commented. "Makes you wonder if Vomit Boy can handle the heat. I mean, that desert looks like hell. Also, what's the deal with all of those jagged rocks in the distance?"

"Yeah," Blake also noticed the strange formations. "It could be another planet. After all, the Mother of Invention ship IS in space. Actually...how did Jaune end up in space anyway?"

"His Semblance, maybe?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "No...as far as I know, Jaune hasn't made his Semblance manifest yet." She of all people would know, given that she was the one who trained him before...

"I'm more interested in the fact that there is a ship in space!" Weiss shouted. She had every right to be bewildered. For as long as she could remember, her father, Jacques Schnee, had always expressed some level of curiosity into the final frontier that was above the reach of normal human beings. The fact that someone had actually managed to accomplish this feat was astounding. Her mind then raced back to the first mission that Maine had entered. Was it possible...that they even managed to go to different planets as well?! What did this even mean? That humanity had managed space colonization? How?! When?! Who could have accomplished this?! And how did they not know about this?! "Is no one questioning that?!"

Nora tilted her head. "Why would we be interested in that?" she asked innocently, almost in the same manner as Ruby. "I'm more worried about my team leader than something like that!"

Weiss' jaw hung open. From the look on Ren's face, he seemed to share some of the same sentiment as Nora, if that was possible. How...how could they not be interested in that fact?! Also, why did they keep insisting that Maine was Jaune?! They were nothing alike! At least...how he was now. True, his personality was indeed the same, or at least in some capacity the same, as that blonde idiot who kept trying to make advances on her, at least from what they were looking at, but she still couldn't accept it. She just couldn't. Her mind would not accept it. She wasn't sure why...maybe because the idea of that blonde idiot who constantly tried to earn her affection was someone who left an impact on her, an impact that contrasted to the man who sat in that bed right now.

"Anyway, let's keep watching," Ren said. "From the looks of it, the operation's about to begin."

* * *

 _"Finally," Maine groaned. The three Freelancers were situated behind a dune, which was used as cover, while the base laid less than a mile away from them. It wasn't as large as the facility that they had raided a month ago, but it was certainly well-fortified. "God, I think I have sand in my boots."_

 _"Oh, quit being such a baby, Maine," Carolina snapped. "It's just sand." Though Maine couldn't see it, the optics in her helmet were zooming in on the defenses, examining the soldiers and turrets that guarded the entrance. "Damn. They have ten guards out in front, all armed with assault rifles. Plus, they've got four turrets up on the wall. If we attack up front, we'd probably be pumped full of lead, overshield or no."_

 _"So what's the plan? Sneak around and Divide and conquer?"_

 _Washington shook his head. "Can't be done," he said, much to both Maine and his own disappointment. "The Insurrectionists outfitted the walls with a sort of trigger. If we try to climb up the walls, the alarm goes off. We can't enter the back either, mainly because of the tank parked up front."_

 _"Wait, they have a tank?! How'd they get their hands on that?!"_

 _Carolina frowned, lowering herself so that she wouldn't be seen while enhancing the view of her optics. "They're being funded by someone. Who, we don't know...all I know is, whoever is supplying them with weapons is loaded. My guess is some corporate bigshot. Add that to the fact that almost all of the Insurrectionists are UNSC operatives, they're pretty much equipped to go to war at a moment's notice."_

 _"So basically, it's the three of us, armed with only a shotgun, magnum pistol, battle rifle, stun baton, twin plasma rifles, our combat skills, against who knows how many enemy soldiers armed to the teeth with UNSC weaponry that can put a hole in your skull and make you into swiss cheese?"_

 _Carolina nodded. "Yep...pretty much. And by the Director's standards, this mission is cakewalk for anyone in the top five of the Leaderboard."_

 _"Which means it's nothing to the woman who's hand the Number 1 spot for over a year," Washington grumbled, only to receive a glare. "...I'll shut up now."_

 _Maine, meanwhile, wondered if it was possible for him to back out of Project Freelancer. Clearly the missions were only going to get harder. Still, he wondered if the fortress was really as well armed as it looked. Risking it, he peeked his head over the dune, and enhanced his optics to get a better look._

 _His vision zoomed to observe the group of soldiers patrolling the upper walls of the fortress. He then shifted his attention to the soldiers stationed on the ground. He did this every so often, trying to find a pattern in their patrol rotations. If he could, then it would be possible to find an opening to slip through._

 _'Okay, so there are ten guards up front, four of them on top of the wall,' he thought, trying his best to memorize the front door approach plan they were seemingly going for. 'The remaining six are below. Two are right next to the gate. One's next to a barrel, and three are off to the side.' He soon fell into a deadpan, as the three soldiers he was looking at were casually chatting away. '...okay, that is just stupid. Well, then again, I suppose that's what happens when you're in the middle of nowhere.' He gave another look at the entrance, but then his focus returned to the barrels. 'Wait...the barrels...'_

 _"Carolina, is your handgun equipped with a silencer?" he asked, surprising the two. "Or at least one of our weapons?"_

 _"Yeah...my rifle. Why?" she asked, now curious. "You have a plan, Maine?"_

 _"Yeah, maybe. That depends...do we have any sticky grenades?"_

 _Washington let out a chuckle, removing one of the aforementioned grenades from his pack. "Never leave home without 'em."_

 _"Perfect." Maine nodded. "I believe I found a way we can get in. To do that...we're gonna need a distraction to draw the guards away."_

 _"And how do you propose we do that?" Carolina raised a brow._

 _"See that by the entrance?" The white armored soldier gestured to the metal cylinders._

 _It didn't take long for Carolina to realize what he was thinking of. She smiled in approval. "...Maine?" she said. "I think your gonna fit right in with this band of misfits." She then took out her rifle, and switched on the silencer, taking aim at the barrel. "Wash, how good of a throwing arm you got?"_

 _"Good enough." The former rookie of the team responded as he rolled his shoulder in preparation for what came next._

 _Maine kept his eye focused on the soldiers. "You have a shot?"_

 _"Yep," came the reply from the teal-colored female. "You boys ready?"_

 _"Ready." Maine nodded._

 _"Yep." Wash replied in kind._

 _"Then on my mark."_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Mark!"_

 _"Sync!"_

 _Wash slung his arm over the dune, the blue grenade flying overhead. Its color did catch the attention of one of the guards from the wall, but he failed to notice what it actually was until it was too late. It latched unto the barrel, glowing as a hue flowed from it. The guard closest to the barrel noticed it, and frowned. "Huh? What the fuck...?" He leaned in, moving his hand to touch it._

 _Then it exploded right in his face, killing him instantly and blasting a hole straight through the gate. As soon as it did, alarms blared as soldiers rushed up to the scene of the incident, leaving a large opening for the Freelancers to slip in amongst the confusion. However, they didn't leave anything to chance. As they rushed in, Carolina shot two of the soldiers up on the turrets in the head with her rifle, while Wash decided to leave them a little present...in the form of a well placed frag grenade._

 _Poor bastards didn't even see it coming._

 _As they entered the compound, the three heard shrill cries of fear and alarm before the explosive went off._

 _"...you know when people say you should make your entrance as flashy as possible," Maine chuckled. "I don't think they meant it this way."_

 _"Hey, there's a difference between show-bizz flashy, and grab everyone's attention flashy." Wash smirked._

 _"Okay you two, quiet down. We're now approaching the objective." Carolina hushed them. The two fell silent, not wanting to anger the possibly volatile spartan warrior (wait, spartan warrior? Where had that come from?) as they ran down the hallway. Eventually, they stopped as they reached what appeared to be the entrance to somewhere further inside the base. Maine and Carolina took behind Wash, keeping an eye out for anyone that would have come after them for whatever reason while the dark-armored soldier worked on the control panel._

 _Out of the three of them, Wash had the best ability in lock picking. Not as good as York though...but still good enough. In a few minutes, a series of beeps resounded and the metal doors slid open. The three quickly made their way to enter. However, they soon regretted their decision. The room was large, easily the size of a grandoise hotel lobby. It was very empty, save for the various barrels of whatever laid inside. Up above was a catwalk for the second level of the facility. Much to the chagrin of the three Freelancers, several soldiers had gathered around, all with their guns at the ready. Even up on the second level, soldiers had their weapons were aimed at them._

 _"...well, we're fucked."_

* * *

"They're so fucked," Yang commented, earning a jab to the ribs. "Ow!"

"Swear!" Ruby said, glaring at her sister in disapproval. "Also, they're not in trouble! They're, like, super spies! They can take them down!"

"I don't know...it's only three of them against an army of trained soldiers." Blake shook her head. "Even though they are supposedly super soldiers, they are still able to be overwhelmed by numbers."

"Well, I wouldn't doubt them," Nora said, clearly having faith in them. "Go on Jaune! Kick their butts!"

Ren sighed. "Nora, this is a memory. Its already happened."

* * *

 _"Sooo..." Maine slowly drawled as he looked around. "Any ideas?"_

 _"...Divide and conquer sounds good right now..." Wash offered._

 _Carolina, however, seemed to be excited. She did a quick scan around the room. There was over 50 soldiers, not counting the ones above. A grin slowly formed on her face. She did a quick count on the second level. She found at least twenty._

 _70 soldiers...and three of them. Heh, that sounded like excellent competition._

 _"Agreed." The leader of the group stated. "Wash, you and Maine get the ones on the second floor. I got the rest..."_

 _The two promptly looked at the woman like she was crazy._

* * *

Yang smiled widely. "Ooooooooh yeah. I like her."

* * *

 _"Um...Carolina? You do realize each and every one of these guys has a gun, right? All of which are aimed at us?"_

 _"I'm well aware. That's why I'm counting on the two of you to take the ones above out."_

 _"And how do we do that?! In case you forgot, we're surrounded!"_

 _The woman turned to face the two boys. "Easy...up." The two men stared at one another, not understanding what she meant. Then, without warning, she grabbed the two and then tossed them up, throwing them up to the catwalks above them, causing them to crash into the soldiers up above. This, of course, caused every insurrectionist to stare in shock before they found themselves staring back at Carolina, who began to crack her knuckles. "Okay boys...who's up first?"_

 _In unison, the enemy soldiers aimed their rifles and pulled the triggers. A rain of bullets flew through the air as Carolina ran around to avoid being hit. Her body evaded each bullet with ease, bouncing away and dodging them. If one were to compare the sight, it was like watching a rapid, panicked, yet fluid dance surrounded by bullets. Carolina, thanks to the augmentations, was able to fight more effectively, and her senses were much greater. As such, her reaction time was much faster than most. While she was certainly no SPARTAN, she could be placed on par with one if she pushed herself. That was she always did. Strive to improve. Get stronger. In a battle like this, advantage was everything...and she was going to win._

 _For the briefest of seconds, a small opening formed within the incoming hail of bullets. She took advantage of it, and dashed into the crowd of soldiers, evading the bullets coming her way. Once she got in close enough, she unholstered her twin plasma pistols and pulled the triggers._

 _Two guards were shot in the head, sent flying back. Before any could react, she spun around, her feet lifting off into the air and knocking down two soldiers before she used her position to shoot down those closest to her. Four were shot, and were knocked into some of their own in a dead heap. The others tried to aim at her, but she was simply too quick for them. Before they could get a lock on her, their rifles were shot or kicked out of their hands before they were killed by plasma blasts._

 _It was chaos down here, and Carolina was in the thick of it. Her adrenaline was pumping, excitement already becoming clear in her mind._

 _Meanwhile, up above, Washington was cursing and screaming as he avoided gunfire while using one of the dead guards as a meatshield. "I can't believe she did that!" he wailed. "I swear, if we make it out of this!"_

 _"Wash, duck!" Maine shouted. He turned his head to see his fellow Freelancer aiming his shotgun. He crouched and ducked as the gun fired, killing a soldier that was about to shoot him dead. "You okay?"_

 _"Yeah! Thanks for the save."_

 _"No prob! Look, man...we just gotta make it through this!" Maine spun around as he pulled out his pistol before shooting an enemy between the eyes. After taking down the guards on their side, they used the metal plates on the railing as cover. "Personally, I'm kinda glad we only got the 20 up here while Carolina gets the rest," Maine muttered, grateful for the number. "Although, what set her off like that?"_

 _"Its how she is," the gray soldier explained, forced to duck when a bullet nearly hit him in the head. "Ask anyone in Project Freelancer, and they'll all tell you she's competitive."_

 _"Yeah...but competitive enough to ignore her comrades?!" Maine questioned as he quickly moved out of the cover to shoot the soldier with his magnum. The guard fell back, dead. Two more rushed up, but they were quickly gunned down by Washington as he used his rifle, pumping them full of lead. The two then moved out into the sides, intending to pincer the remaining soldiers on the opposing side. Maine traded his pistol for his shotgun and opened fired. One blast got one soldier in the chest. Before another could counter-attack, the new Freelancer switched the grip on his weapon, wielding it like a club and bashed the enemy in the face._

 _Washington came up from behind, grabbing one of the soldiers by surprise and snapping his neck. Startled, the last of the guards turned, only to have his face blown in by a single shot from a pistol. "Annnd now we're done." The black armored soldier stated as he holstered his weapons. "Now let's back up Carolina with the rest." He holstered his weapon and looked down, only pause. Maine frowned, seeing him standing there, as if frozen. Then he looked up at the fellow newbie. "...on second thought, nevermind." The white-armored soldier looked down, and then understood Washington's words._

 _Every soldier that Carolina fought...all 50 of them...were lying on the ground either dead or unconscious. In the middle of it all was the teal colored soldier, standing tall and barely winded._

 _"...what. The. Fuck."_

 _"Yep," Washington sighed. "That's pretty much Carolina in a nutshell, innit?"_

 _"Alright, boys..." The female called to her comrades. "Let's get moving."_

 _The two stared at one another, clearly in disbelief. Eventually, they made their way down. Washington hopped over the railing, landing on the ground. Maine was about to follow, but stopped to look at the corpses of the dead soldiers. They were enemies. Enemies that would have killed him. Enemies that meant him harm. He knew that well. In war, everyone who had a weapon against you was an enemy. Even still...it was wrong. These people were fighting back against something. They were fighting for what they believed in. Was that so wrong? What right did they have to take their lives?_

 _And yet, somehow...the sight of the corpses meant nothing to him. There was no feeling in his gaze as he looked at the bodies._

 _And that...scared him. Was he becoming used to this? True, it had been a month since his last assignment, but had he truly become so used to the sight of dead bodies that it meant little to him? In so short a time? No...that can't be true! He wasn't like that! He was...he was..._

 _ **'A soldier.'**_

 _...right, that's what he was. A soldier. A weapon of war. Just like everyone else in Project Freelancer...but who made that choice for him? Why didn't they just ignore him and find someone else? No, it wasn't right. He didn't have to be a weapon. None of them did. There was no way he would become used to death.  
_

 _"Maine!" Carolina called. "Come on! Let's go!"_

* * *

"...Pyrrha," Weiss said, breaking the silence between them. "Are you sure she's not related to you?"

"What makes you say that?" The Spartan looked at the heiress.

"Oh I don't know...maybe the fact she took down 50 trained soldiers without breaking a sweat?"

"Or that she did it all by herself," Yang added. "Or that she did it without getting hit?"

"Sound familiar? Miss Invincible...?"

Pyrrha's eyes turned sad for a moment, but it quickly vanished. "T-that is mere coincidence, nothing more," she insisted. "Also, I'm sure she is just talented, going by what Agent Washington said."

"What he said also worries me," Blake frowned in disapproval. "She definitely is the type to have a competitive streak. Ignoring your comrades like that is not exactly team dynamic approval. Maine was right, that leaderboard thing is definitely a bad thing to have around."

"I think so too..." Ruby voiced her own opinion. "I mean...they're team mates. They have to work together, not compete to see who's the best."

Nora gave a strong nod of agreement. "Heck ya! Otherwise, what's the point of a team! Also, there's not "I" in Team!"

"Exactly." Even Ren voiced his agreement with the three.

They then continued to watch the memories unfold. Unknown to them, Pyrrha stared at the running form of Maine, eyes focused solely on him. She wanted to see this. She HAD to see this...She had to see what happened to her partner...

Her hands clenched. _'Jaune...'_

* * *

 _The three entered what they assumed was the command center of the base. It barely looked maintain, as several monitors were either destroyed or broken. Crates and weapons and ammunition was lying around everywhere, and the walls were breaking apart. Wires hung out, almost like hanging metal, with only one or two sparking. "Not good housekeepers, are they?" Maine joked as they walked inside. "Most of these things looked broken all to hell. How old is this place?"_

 _"Fairly old, I'm guessing. While the Resistance occupied this place not too long ago according to intel, there's reason to believe the building has been around much longer than that..."_

 _"Guess that explains why it's rundown," Maine commented. He set his shotgun against one of the consoles, and examined a nearby computer. "You think they have any valuable info here? Do these things even have enough dataspace? They look REALLY old. Reminds me of that old computer Ren used to use." As soon as he said that, he found himself stunned into silence. Ren? Who was that? Moreover, why did he suddenly feel a headache pounding at his head?_

* * *

"HAH!" Nora cheered. "There! Proof! Proof that Maine is Jaune! HE REMEMBERS YOU, RENNY!" A pause, then a dramatic gasp. "Wait, why does he only remember Ren?! Does he not remember me or Pyrrha?! What makes Ren so special?" She turned to her friend, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Ren...are you and Jaune in a...you know...?"

Ren sighed. "No, we are not," he stated plainly. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he's into girls if he keeps trying to win Weiss over. Although...I don't think he actually remembers us. It seemed more like a subconscious thought. His mind doesn't recognize the name of Lie Ren, but his consciousness does."

"Either way, it's proof!" Ruby said, grinning before smirking smugly at Weiss. "How about that, Weiss? Now you can't deny it's Jaune!"

The heiress could, in all honesty, not make a remark about that. The longer she watches...the more she becomes convinced of who the solider really is...

"...t-that still doesn't explain how he wound up in this project!" she said hastily, trying to ignore the stares everyone was giving her after they were proven right. "L-let's just find out, and THEN you can say, I told you so, alright?!"

The girls and Ren chuckled, causing Weiss to growl in irritation. Nonetheless, they soon turned their attention back to the memories played before them.

* * *

 _"Hey, Maine," Washington called out. "You okay?"_

 _He gave a nod. "Y-yeah," he replied, his breath slightly shaky. "I just...got a headache. That's all." Carolina stared at him, clearly unconvinced. "A-anyway...any idea what we're looking for?"_

 _"We're looking for information for other Insurrection bases and technology they stole from the UNSC so we could retrieve them."_

 _"Alright," Wash said, moving to one of the more intact consoles. "Should be easy enough."_

 _He then tapped a few keys and proceeded to browse through the information in search of their objective. Meanwhile, Carolina looked around the room. "...this doesn't feel right," Maine heard her mumble. "Even if most of the guards outside are checking out the front gate, and the soldiers we took out earlier, there should have been at least a few guys here to guard their command center."_

 _"Think it's a trap?"_

 _"If it is, makes you wonder what-"_

 _Suddenly, a red light flashed through the room, followed by the sound of alarms blaring. Washington let out a cry as he backed away from the console. "What the fuck is this?!" The two immediately rushed to his side. Then they found something disturbing on the console. It was a red screen with a rather infamous sign; a skull over crossbones. However, embedded in the skull was a single knife, stabbed in the head. Below it were yellow letters reading [WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!] "I typed in a few keys, and this fucking thing pops up!"_

 _"I-is it a virus?!" the blonde said, now anxious. If it was a virus, it was no doubt erasing the files that they were looking for. "How do we shut it off?!"_

 _"Never mind that, this damn noise is gonna alert every other guy in the base!" Washington scowled underneath his helmet. "This mission's a bust! C'mon, we gotta-!"_

 _Carolina's authorative voice cut through the tense situation like a knife. "WAIT!" The two Freelancers turned to her. Though they couldn't see her face, they could tell that, underneath her helmet, she was glaring at the screen. If looks could kill, the thing would suffer a combustion. "Wash, look at the skull. It has a knife in it's head."_

 _"Okay, and?!"_

 _"How many people do we know of have that insignia?"_

 _For a moment, there was silence. A cold, dreading silence that caused Maine to slowly begin to feel his heart ramming against his chest. Clearly, the looks they were giving one another was an indication that something was wrong. Horribly wrong. Eventually, Washington let out a phrase that was quickly becoming familiar. "...son of a bitch."_

 _"What?" Maine questioned. "What's happening?!"_

 _"It's them," Carolina hissed. "These aren't Insurrectionists we've been fighting." Suddenly, the doors began to pound. Maine jumped, quickly grabbing his shotgun and readying his weapon. The other two also took out their weapons. The doors continued to bend, indents and bulges forming as something continuously began to beat against the only thing keeping the room safe. "The worst possible scum."_

 _"Who?!" he asked, now terrified. "Who the fuck are we dealing with?!"_

 _Then the doors were thrown open. What stepped into the room...was not a soldier. In fact, it wasn't even human. No human could ever stand at such a height. It stood at 12 feet tall, armored in thick black armor. Spikes rumbled from its back, standing tall like the quills of a porcupine, and a head covered by dark metal, giving it the impression of a domed face that seemingly glared back at you with nothing but vicious intensity, unable to gaze at what laid beneath the armor. Its right arm was nothing but a weapon, a muzzle at what should have been the hand and the fingers giant metal fins in a triangle pattern. Green cylinders stuck out from the arm, almost like canisters. There were a few gaps in the armor, showing off the body. From what little Maine saw, it was nothing but exposed muscle; he could see the blue veins and the red sinews of thin meat, held together by white strips and attached to large bones._

 _It was a monster. A monster that looked ready to go to war. A monster...that looked very pissed, and just found someone to take its anger out on._

 _Carolina's words did not comfort him in the least._

 _"...Pirates. Fucking Pirates."_

* * *

 _"When it goes off, I'll be fine. It only affects computers remember? And I am a motherfuckin' ghost." -Leonard L. Church, AKA the Alpha AI_

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, I'd like to apologize for the wait. Unlike before, we didn't immediately work on this chapter, since the previous ones were meant to be a single chapter until people wanted a cliffhanger. Because of that, the wait was longer. That, and I was working on other stories with my friends Daemon of Wrath, formerly Code-Emperor07, and RealmOfEmptiness. Matter of fact, with the latter, we published a new story and updated one! Drifting towards Rebellion, a Code Geass/Drifters crossover, and Disgaea: Dragon of Dragons, a work by RealmOfEmptiness, which is as the name implies, a High School DxD/Disgaea crossover. Please check them out when you have the chance!

Also, I should have stated this earlier, but...the events of the Memory of Maine Arc, as I'd like to call it, take place in between Volumes 1 and 2.

I'd also like to apologize for the lackluster of action...but hey, next chapter, our three Freelancers are about to go up against one of the toughest sons of bitches in the Covenant; a Hunter! Now, the Pirates Carolina are talking about are minor antagonists. They'll make an appearance every few chapters or so until we hit the main story. Also, I won't be covering EVERY portion of memory that leads up to Project Freelancer Saga. Rather, I will only cover what can be considered the arc where Jaune actually becomes Maine fully; however, that said, because this is Jaune, he'll be different from the actual character in some way. Don't worry, he'll still be the brutal and monstrous son of a bitch we've come to love and fear, but he'll also be the same dorky, lovable idiot we know and love too.

Before I end this, I'm pretty sure most of you already know this, but I have a poll on my page to decide who Jaune ends up with. So far, we have:

-Pyrrha: 55

-Carolina: 38

-Ruby: 33

-Blake: 30

-Cinder: 26

-Yang: 25

-Weiss: 13

-Neo: 13

...you know, I should not be surprised people love Arkos, but DAMN. Carolina's second, and she's fighting for her position with Ruby of all people! Also, why you guys hate on Weiss? XD Nah, nevermind. Pretty sure why.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Later losers, and I'll see you all next time!

P.S: Review this chapter with the utmost honesty, or I will sic an angry Caboose, Tex, AND Yang on yer ass!


	4. Chapter 4

_"The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." -Monty Oum_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 4: War is Hell

"...son of a bitch."

[Play: Extraction - Jeff Williams]

Those four words that came out of Washington's words had never been so true. In honesty, Maine was pretty damn scared himself. The "Pirate" was a freaking alien, a brute of one at that, and was armed to the teeth. From the look of it, it was pissed, it was angry, it was furious, and it just found an outlet in the form of three Freelancers, who just so happened to be right in front of it. It let out a monstrous growl and raised its arm. The green containers on its arm began to glow, and energy began to gather around the muzzle, as if ready to fire.

Carolina was the first to react. "SCATTER!"

When it fired, it a burst of green fire. The three were forced to throw thenselves to the ground in order to evade, while the console they gathered around previously was destroyed, reduced to sparking circuitry and burning metal. Maine quickly picked himself up from the ground, shaking off the slight dizziness he received when he hit the ground. He took aim with his magnum and opened fire. The bullets struck the armor, but became indented, concaving in on themselves and clattering to the ground. Washington also fired away at it with his assault rifle, though the bullets only seemed to bounce off. Carolina also took her shot at it, firing away with her twin weapons, but the energy blasts were repelled. Unlike before when it simply took the hits, it shielded itself with the large metal sheet over its left arm.

When it became clear nothing was working, the red-haired Freelancer scowled and decided to charge straight at it. "Carolina, wait!" She didn't listen. She charged right toward it, letting out a battle cry as she ran. The giant brute saw her, and swung. Carolina jumped over it, firing away at it from above before she landed behind it. She whirled around, seeing the exposed muscle on its back, and was about to fire away at it until the Pirate whirled around, and smacked her away with the shield, throwing her aside. "Shit," Washington cursed. "Maine, cover Carolina! I'm gonna grab this asshole's attention!"

"Got it!" Maine shouted back, running to his friend. Meanwhile, the dark-armored soldier unloaded his clip at the thing's back, causing it to let out a screech, feeling pain and whirling around, smashing the ground with rage. It aimed its cannon at him and fired. He rolled out of the way, avoiding it while continuing to shoot. Meanwhile, Maine helped a stunned Carolina up. "You okay?"

Carolina grunted. "I'll live," she told him before turning her attention to the Pirate. "Goddammit, intel said nothing about Pirates being here!"

"What the fuck even IS that thing?!"

"Remember the Covenant?" she asked. "Well, meet their heaviest brutes. The Hunters. Looks like those bastards got one with them."

"How the fuck is that even possible?!" The new Freelancer gaped in shock. Just what did these guys do to get one of the members of the Genocidal, Religious alien race humanity was at war with?! It didn't make any fucking sense!

"Don't know," Carolina said as she shrugged off the damage. "But if want to get out of here...we need to get rid of ugly. Maine, get to one of the consoles, find a schematic of the place!"

"Why?!"

"Shut up and do it!"

"Okay, okay!" The soldier relented as he rushed over to one of the remaining, intact consoles. Immediately, he typed in keys and scoured through stored information to find the information he was looking for. He needed to find it...and fast.

He began to type into the console furiously, looking for the requested data. Meanwhile, Carolina helped Washington. "Hey, ugly!" she shouted. The Hunter stopped and turned, finding the teal-armored woman shooting at it with her twin guns. "Kiss my ass!"

The Covenant being roared as it swung it's weaponized arm around and aimed the barrel at her. It let loose. She dodged just as it was about to strike her, vaulting over it and aiming her guns. Rather than attack blindly, she aimed for the arm with the cannon. The Hunter let out a growl as it shielded the arm, avoiding any damage. "Wash!" she shouted. "How many sticky grenades do you have?!"

"I have four on me! Why?!" The Freelancer asked as he popped out of his cover to shoot the creature in the back.

"I got an idea!" she called back. The Hunter let out a cry as it turned back to Washington, who immediately gulped. It then charged at him rather than shoot at him, forcing him to quickly move away. Its shield barreled through the consoles in front of it, tearing it up from the ground before clashing into the ground. "Maine! Got the schematics?!"

"One sec...YES!" the blonde cheered as he took a chip from the console. "Got it!" He tossed it over to Carolina, who immediately placed it into one of the slots in her helmet. The Hunter removed itself from the wall, and turned to glare at them. Maine immediately squeaked. "U-um...Carolina, please tell me this plan of yours doesn't involve us dying, cause I think the big guy REALLY wants to kill us!"

She ignored him. The Hunter slowly advanced, the cylinders on its weaponized arm glowing as energy gathered at the muzzle. "F.I.L.S.S, we're doing a shock drop! Give me the best route!"

"AFFIRMATIVE." The Freelancer AI program responded as the schematics of the base pulled up on the visor within her helmet. A split second after that, a bright red line was drawn from their current position to their designated target.

Carolina glared at the map schematics, memorizing them before she turned to her comrades. "Come on, you two!" she barked. "We're leaving!"

"On it!" Maine and Wash turned to the Hunter, firing a few rounds at it before following Carolina out of the room.

The Hunter let out a bellow of rage. It soon began to chase after them, plowing through the doors that did nothing to halt it and charged down the halls, speeding up behind them. Washington and Maine provided cover fire, though they should have known that the bullets would do nothing. They rounded a corner, though Maine slid and nearly fell on his own feet before catching himself and continue his sprint. The Hunter was not as graceful. It turned its body so only its side crashed into the wall, breaking the pipes and causing steam to blow in its armored face. It then resumed its chase after them.

* * *

"...okay, this is both exciting and terrifying all the same time," Yang said. Part of her felt scared for what that giant thing would do to them if it caught them, while on the other hand it greatly reminded her of a movie she had once seen. "But seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!"

"SWEAR!" came the squeak of disapproval from the leader of Team RWBY.

"Not the time, Ruby! I mean, do you see that thing?! Not even Beringel's are that beefy!"

What they were seeing was a monstrosity that put even the ape-like Grimm to shame. It even had a WEAPON for an arm for Oum's sake!

"Ren! Ren!" Nora cried with stars in her eyes. "Can I keep it?!"

"One," the teenage boy of NPR replied calmly. "This is a memory. You can't actually interact with it. Two, no. Last thing I need is for you to ride that thing's back and destroy everything in sight."

The orange-haired girl pouted, shoulders slumping. Weiss, meanwhile, looked terrified and starstruck. 'Aliens,' she thought in total shock. 'Aliens...actually exist... They are big, they are mean, and they are real.' Unknown to her, a gulp traveled down her throat. Somehow, the idea of one of those things coming down to Remnant scared the shit out of her, and she was sure others would agree with her. Going by the firepower it had...Aura wouldn't do much good against a weapon like that.

* * *

"So what's the plan?!" Maine shouted as they were still running. That passed through another door, and busted straight through a few guards that were in front of them and continued to run like hell. The Hunter killed the two, either by stomping over their downed bodies in their charge or crushing them with its arm and throwing them aside. "We keep running and hoping the big man tires out?!"

"There's a power plant in the middle of the facility!" Carolina answered, ahead of the two men. "If we blow it up with the grenades, we can kill this fucker! Now shut up and keep running!"

Maine held his tongue as he pumped more strength into his legs. Their feet thundered across the metal floor, but the sound they made paled in comparison to the stomps of the Hunter. Adrenaline coursed through Maine's veins as the fight or flight response became initiated. It was just like before, on that first mission. The lives of the soldiers he took. This situation. The threat of him dying. Him standing on the edge of a very thin tightrope. That feeling from before had come back, only stronger than ever.

Somehow, he remembered. That here, he couldn't afford to be some idiot who wanted to be a hero of some sort for whatever reason. Here, he was a man in armor, gun in hand, ready to follow orders. On the battlefield, he was a soldier. A warrior...a feeling he both despied, and welcomed.

He accepted it because it was what was asked of him. He hated it because it wasn't right.

But even if he hated it, it mattered little. His own feelings were useless in the battlefield. The mission took precedence above his emotions. For once, he let himself go. As he ran, his breathing began to calm, and his pants became lower. His heart rate lowered down. Then his eyes became more focused. For a moment, the red irises burned with even greater intensity, and his pupils shrank.

He suppressed his own fear, disgust, and panic into the deepest corner of his mind and allowed the soldier he was molded into through training take over.

In that one moment, in that one second...the man who would soon become one of the most terrifying forces the world would see had taken to the battlefield.

* * *

 **(Outside of Memory Sequence)**

 **"...Director," the Counselor, Aiden Price, said as he looked at the bio-readings. "It would appear the augmentation is beginning to take affect."**

 **The Director simply stared back at the holoscreen, eyes focused. "That hardly matters, Counselor," he retorted. "All that matters now is seeing Maine's progress. After all...this is just the first of a thousand steps before he can be the soldier we've been looking for."**

 **"Understood." Then the dark skinned man turned to his superior, a tinge of concern in his eyes. "If I may Director...are we certain that this is the best option to take?"**

 **"I've said it before, Counselor...the system will determine the order."**

* * *

"We're about to hit the plant!" Carolina shouted. "Wash, get the grenades ready!"

"On it!" The Freelancer responded as he pulled two sticky grenades from his belt.

"And Maine?"

"...yeah?"

"Keep our little guest busy! Buy us five minutes!"

Maine's feet slid across the metal, whirling around to face the Hunter while the other two Freelancers ran towards the power plant. The Hunter stopped, and let out a roar. In response, Maine slammed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles, neck and shoulders. No matter what happened, he was going to follow through with his orders. If they needed five minutes, they'll get them...no matter what it took.

"...well, jackass?" he growled. His voice sounded menacing, almost like the voice of a predator. "You coming...or what?"

* * *

"...uh oh. I know where this is going," Yang paled. "A-and...is it just me, or does Vomit Boy sound like...well, you know...?"

"You mean that he now sounds very scary?" Ruby offered. Truth be told, she was terrified. Somehow, his voice reminded her of how she was when they reunited back at the Forever Fall; though he was unable to speak, the groans, growls, and snarls were all menacing, reminiscent to that of a predator zeroing in on his prey.

But...how did that happen? He was fine moments earlier. Why did his personality to a complete 360?

"Jaune..." Pyrrha whimpered, her fear growing.

* * *

The Hunter let out a screech, and then aimed its cannon at him, opening fire. Maine dove out of the way before rolling back on his feet, whipping out his pistol. He aimed right in the Alien's face and pulled the trigger. The bullets flew and impacted the abomination in the visor and mouth. The bullets barely fazed it, as it only let out a grunt of annoyance before it charged at him, intending to crush him with its shield.

Maine holstered his weapon and dove out of the charge at the last moment. The beast ran past him. It then skidded to a stop to turn and face him, only for Maine to run towards it. The Hunter raised its weaponized arm before bringing it down on top of the approaching Freelancer, fully intent on crushing him. With a surprising show of herculean strength, Maine caught the arm. The Hunter reared its head back, as if shocked. Beneath his helmet, a savage smile formed on his face.

"...my turn."

He dug his fingers into the limb and positioned his feet so he would produce more torque from leverage. He twisted his body and moved the arm over his shoulder. The Hunter let out a roar of confusion and fear as it found itself flying through the air. When it crashed into the ground, metal scrapped against steel, creating a horrifying and ear-grating sound that sounded worse than nails scratching against chalkboard. It slowly raised itself back up, slightly dazed. It looked up, and then found itself smacked with a straight hook that caused the metal to dent. But it didn't stop with a single strike. Another punch impacted the other side of its face. Then another. Then another. As it tried to get up, it was continuously pummeled back to the ground by two heavy fists.

Eventually, the beatings stopped, and it was grabbed by the head. With great strength, Maine threw its body all the way down the hall. When it landed, it began to tumble like a rag doll, bouncing through the halls before it smashed through the double doors, and fell inside a large room. It was at least twice the size of the training room at Beacon Academy, and most of it was nothing but an empty center with machinery wired up to what looked like a gigantic turbine with wires and tubes hooked up to it, falling inside the cavity it hung over.

Washington and Carolina, who stood by a console, were startled but became slackjawed when they saw the Hunter with a dented and ruined metal helmet, trying to get up while Maine walked through the destroyed entrance nonchalantly, cracking his knuckles. "...what. The. Fuck?" the gray-armored soldier repeated Maine's words earlier, unable to believe what he was seeing. "D-did he? I mean, was-was that?"

"Maine's been holding out on us," Carolina remarked, though even she felt shocked. "Wash, how much longer before you can overload this thing?"

"O-One more minute!" Her comrade responded as he snapped out of his former stupor. He immediately returned to working on the console.

Meanwhile, the Hunter managed to get back up, and let out a guttering roar at Maine. His only response was the notorious universal gesture. Eranged by the shisno's arrogance, the Covenant being aimed its weaponized arm at the human, energy charging up at the tip.

* * *

"...um, is it just me, or did that thing just call Jaune poop?" Nora asked, tilting her head. Everyone stared at her. "What? Seriously, I could've sworn it just called him poop!"

* * *

Maine wasn't about to let it fire. He immediately rushed in as the weapon charged and pulled out his shotgun. He spun the weapon in his grip and slammed it as hard as he could into the intricate machinery in the alien's limb. With a pull of the trigger, the shells blew straight into the arm. In the next moment, green flashed, and bits of metal, bone, machinery, and green fluid went spraying all across the air, splattering against the walls and floor. Most of it splattered against his armor. The Hunter screeched in agony as its nerves were connected to the weapon, and we're now being fried from the explosion.

Maine smirked. Without stopping his streak, he rammed the shotgun into its chest and pulled the trigger. First shot barely caused it to move. The second caused it to jerk. Third made it flinch. The fourth nearly caused its feet to move. Fifth caused it to gasp in pain. Sixth made its feet lift off the ground. Then came the seventh round. Eighth. Ninth. At the tenth round, it was now a few inches above the ground.

He then switched out for his magnum pistol and fired right into the wounds caused by the shotgun rounds. Now that most of the plating had been destroyed, the pistol's bullets tore through the remainders and dug into its flesh. The Hunter's cries of pain escalated. The flesh was exposed, revealing sinews of bloody, ripped meat. "Oi, Wash!" he shouted as he delivered a kick, knocking it back. "You have a grenade on ya?!"

"Y-yeah, why?!"

"Toss it to me."

"G-Got it!" Hoping that Maine knew what he was doing, the black-clad Freelancer tossed him the item. He caught it easily. Meanwhile, the Hunter, now enraged, let out a roar in his face. Beneath his helmet, Maine glared back as he pulled the pin.

"...piss off."

He reared his arm back and shoved the grenade straight into the massive, bleeding hole in the Hunter's torso. He then punched it away from him and his team mates before retreating. "Wait, did you just-?!" Wash got no further than that Carolina grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down while Maine slid next to them, taking cover.

The Hunter let out a pained cry, the bleeding even worse, before it noticed the object in its chest. It then looked up, and growled. The Freelancers didn't understand alien...but they knew what it was saying. Four very familiar words.

 _'Son of a bitch.'_

The next moment, the Hunter's torso completely ruptured from the force of the grenade detonating. Shrapnel and alien innards sprayed all over the room, some of which flew over the Freelancers' heads.

"...I can't believe you did that," Washington murmured. "Y-you...blew up...a fucking Hunter."

Carolina looked at the white-armored soldier. "...Maine?"

The white-armored soldier suddenly froze. The tension left his body, and his eyes dulled, returning to their regular sheen. For a moment, he was confused. What...just happened? It felt like he just blacked out for a moment. "Y-Yeah..." The white Freelancer asked, his voice now back to normal. He tried to play it off, but he cringed upon noticing the obvious cringe and worry in his voice.

"Remind me to never piss you off." With a playful punch, the woman laughed. "Alright, Wash. You got everything set?"

"Y-yeah," he nodded, slowly standing. "Got the reactor set...though I gotta ask. How are we getting out of here? I mean, when I overload the reactor, its gonna blow in, like, a couple of minutes...and we're DEFINITELY not gonna get out of the way in time."

Carolina's response was to tap her helmet, opening up a communication feed. "Four, you read me? I need to ask...your Pelican got a rocket launcher? Need you to make us a hole."

Wash and Maine glanced at one another. Rocket launcher? They didn't really like the sound of that...

"...you get the feeling like the roof is gonna crash down on our heads?"

"Yeeeeeeep. Think it's a Tuesday."

"I'm wondering why we're even here."

"...that is the question, isn't it?"

* * *

"...why do I get the feeling that question is gonna be asked a lot?" Weiss muttered before she frowned. "But what WAS that? He seemed like a totally different person."

Ren frowned, folding his arms. "Yeah...though something about that seemed unnatural. You don't change personalities like that, especially not as drastic or as fast as that."

"Agreed." Pyrrha nodded, still digesting what she just saw. "...It was as if he was...made to act like that..."

Ruby frowned heavily. She wasn't sure why...but when Jaune fought that big alien...for a moment, her mind raced back to their reunion at the Forever Fall forest. He was...a brute. Relentless, fierce, scary, and strong. He completely beat them into the ground without any form of mercy... If she didn't know any better...it was like how her dad fought when he was angry. The only difference was, Jaune was being driven solely by what seemed like primal rage, or a sense of duty that she couldn't understand. She remembered what the Director, that mean old man, said. Jaune was acting like how he described...and that didn't sit right with her. At all. "A-at least...he's back to normal."

"Yeah...but for how long?" Her sister was the one to ask the question. For all they knew it could only be temporary until he went back on another mission.

Blake was silent. Something about this whole thing didn't sit right with her. She wasn't sure what it was...but it was odd how he was sent out on another mission, only a month after his first one. Normally, he'd have breathing room to relax...but that wasn't the case. She could see it. The others might not have, but she could.

There was a small, tiny crack forming in Jaune. A crack that popped up right when he did a 180. _'Is the Director...?'_

Was he...was he trying to break Jaune? To break him and make him into a soldier?

Her fingers curled into fists. Her molars gnashed against one another. How could he be so heartless? He didn't care about Jaune, all he cared about was making him into a weapon! She knew what it was like to take a life. In fact, she knew better than anyone else in this goddamn room. It was one of the reasons why she left the White Fang. She couldn't stomach it anymore. Even now, when she closes her eyes, she can still see the faces of the people who died by her hands. She didn't dare to forget. She couldn't allow herself to forget.

And she knew Jaune wasn't about to let himself forget either...but the way he was going, he was going to crack, and the Director would have his perfect little soldier.

 _'Stay strong, Jaune,'_ she thought. Even if it was a sequence of events that have already transpired...she still hoped. She had to hope. _'Please...if not for our sake's, or yours...'_

Amber eyes fell upon the red-haired spartan.

 _'...then at least for hers.'_

* * *

"Well, newbie, I'd say you've made yourself a hell of a resume," 479er said with a chipper tone as the Pelican flew away. In the distance, a giant mushroom pile of smoke emerged, followed by the red burning marks of flames rising up with it as a result of the base being turned into molten metal and smoldering rubble, left to disappear in the sands. "Killing a Hunter? That'll earn you a spot on the leaderboard."

Maine gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head. His helmet rested next to him, the visor reflecting the interior of the ship. "W-well, I don't exactly remember much," he said abashed. "I think it was just adrenaline pumping."

"Well, it must have been a hell of a rush," Washington scoffed, staring at the blonde with slight fear and amazement. "You, my friend, were TERRIFYING. Seriously, were you channeling your inner beast or something?"

"I don't really know...like I said, I'm pretty sure it was just the tension of the fight..." Maine shrugged. He honestly did not have much of an idea about what had happened. But whatever he did, he managed to take down the 12ft tall weaponized Covenant bastard.

Carolina huffed. "Well, it saved our asses," she said. "I was going to have Wash plant the sticky bombs on its back before throwing it to the reactor, but what you did worked too."

"Well, it was just in the heat of the moment. I mean, I already made the hole in its chest so I figured, why not plant a grenade and blow it up?"

"Helluva way to do it," 479er laughed. "Anyway, we'll be home in an hour. Until then, NO PUKING. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The soldier saluted, not eager to be kicked out of the air craft.

The two other Freelancers laughed, shaking their heads. "You're a funny guy, Maine," Washington chuckled. "Actually, after this, you free?"

"Er...I think so. Why?"

"Me and North know a good bar."

The blonde did a dry spit-take. His eyes went to the size of dinner plates. "What?!" he gawked. "B-but I'm underage!"

"Underage? Dude, you're in the military! There's no age restriction for drinking! As the rule goes, if you're old enough to shoot someone, you're old enough to drink." Wash laughed.

Carolina laughed. "You should ask how old York was when he started drinking," she said. "Anyway, you sure you're okay, kid? Your looking kind of pale."

"I...guess I'm still a bit overwhelmed," Maine sighed. "I mean, this is my second mission...and I still can't get over the idea of killing people. I know you said it never gets easy, but...fuck, I don't know. It just feels like sooner or later, I'm going to start seeing dead people, and I'm going to screw up."

The two, older Freelancers glanced at one another before turning back to Maine. "...Well, if that ever does happen, you won't be alone..." Wash shook his head. Maine blinked. Wash gave him a troubled smile, almost worn. "I joined Project Freelancer six months ago, and I still have nightmares," he confessed to the blonde. "More than anyone would care to admit. Carolina was right, killing never gets easier...but do you know what does get easier?" Maine shook his head. "Having people there to hold the burden for you. Don't forget, Maine, you're not the only misfit in this family."

"Misfit?" the red-haired woman frowned. "Aren't you talking more about yourself and North?"

"Hey! It was one time! How the hell was I supposed to know that was gonna happen?"

"You still blew up the cafeteria, Wash."

"It. Was. An. Accident!" He countered. "Again, how was I supposed to know that the oven was on the fritz?!"

The rookie Freelancer tried to muffle a laugh, but failed. "Y-you blew up a cafeteria with a broken oven?" he asked, his earlier unease nowhere to be found. "How'd you manage that?"

"Would you believe me if I said it involved a car and diesel fuel?"

"You're serious?!" Maine questioned him.

Washington groaned. "I thought I could get the stove to work if I used gasoline, alright?" he snapped. "So what?! I only did it once!"

"Doesn't matter. Me and the others are holding that over your head for the rest of your life."

"Oh, come on, Carolina!" Wash whined. Maine couldn't hold himself any longer. He reared his head back, and roared with laughter. "Not you too, Maine! Stop laughing!"

"S-sorry, Wash...but that's too fucking funny!" Maine laughed heartedly. Tears were beginning to fall from his face. "O-oh god! That's just hilarious!"

"If you think that's funny, I got more for ya!" 479er offered from the cockpit. Wash's heart sank further. Now even the pilot was teasing him?! The hell! "I've got a number of inappropriate and guaranteed Wash-embarrassing stories to share!"

"Oh, I'd love to hear these..." The white Freelancer grinned.

"Don't you dare Four!" Wash yelled in a panic.

"Did you know that Wash here has bad luck with cars?" The pilot continued.

Wash let out a wail, throwing up his arms.

Suddenly, ending up like Georgia sounded like a good idea right about now...

* * *

"Well, at least these guys are pretty swell," Ruby sighed in relief. "To be honest...I was kind of worried they'd be like those mercenary guys from the movies dad and I watched."

"Yeah? Like those callous, 'complete the mission and follow orders' and 'we're in it for the money' type of guys?" Yang asked her.

"Yeah..."

Nora tilted her head. "...Hey, Renny?"

"Yes, Nora?"

"...do you think I can find a car and blow up Cardin?"

Ren sighed. "No, you may not."

"Awww..." The hyperactive Ginger pouted. "But why nooot...?!"

"Because, it's an act of vandalism and murder."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "While Cardin disappearing off the face of the earth would be fun to see, let's not and say we did," she said. Then the room began to return to normal, showing that the doctor had finished with his Semblance.

Pyrrha frowned, opening her mouth as if to protest, but a gentle hand touched her shoulder. She turned, and found Ozpin standing there. "I know you want to know more about what happened," he said, trying to placate her. "And while I cannot speak for Mr. Arc, who is unconscious...but I don't think he would want you to push yourselves." The girl's green eyes widened, as if taken aback, and then looked at the unconscious form of the lovable idiot who she grew so fond of. Ozpin then turned to address all of the students. "Now then, everyone, I believe it would best if you returned to your dorm rooms. After all, you can't spend the night here in the infirmary."

"B-but," Ruby tried to protest. "W-what if Jaune wakes up? We-we want to be there when-"

The Headmaster raised a hand. "When Mr. Arc awakes, I'll let you all know," he told them. "For now...get some rest. ALL of you." He emphasized his words as his gaze scanned across all the students, particularly an anxious Spartan.

"Yes sir..." The group collectively responded. One by one, they left the infirmary to head back to their rooms, Team NPR being the last ones to leave.

Soon, the room was left vacant. Dr. Reed also vacated, seeing his job done for the day. As he bid the two farewell, he slipped out of the room, and closed the door. "...you do realize that what comes next isn't going to be pretty for them," Glynda said, her eyes closing before she looked at Jaune's comatose form. "Especially for Ms. Nikos."

Ozpin sighed. His tone was tired, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Believe me, I'm more than aware," he muttered. "Truth be told...I should be following my own advice. In all of my life, little have I felt such anger towards another...but this Director? The man who made Mr. Arc into the man who sleeps in that bed?" He slowly turned, and his brown eyes were somber, yet held a cold anger. "It is enough to make me wish I had an army at my disposal, all so I could bring it all down on his head."

Glynda remained silent. Very rarely did she ever see Ozpin this enraged. But when he does...hell would seem like paradise to those who have earned his wrath. She could agree with him on this Director. She was angry herself. What sort of monster takes a boy and tries to break them in order to make them into a weapon at their disposal?

Not even Ironwood was that bad.

Just then, Ozpin's scroll rang. The man gave another sigh as he removed it from his pocket, and answered the call. "Ozpin speaking."

 **[Oz...it's me,]** a familiar, gruff voice said. **[We need to talk.]**

"I take it...this is about what I sent you?"

 **[Yes. I've done what you've asked, but...I think it's better if you come and see me in person.]**

"Very well. I will be there shortly." The Headmaster responded.

 **[See ya then.]** The caller then hung up.

Ozpin then slipped his Scroll back into his pocket. "Was that James?" Glynda asked. "What did he call about?"

"...it was about the Meta."

* * *

When it opened its eyes, it didn't know where it was.

It was a blank, white space. No, that wasn't right...it was too defined to be that. It looked like some kind of facility. Somehow, it reminded him of the old base. The walls were metal, glowing circuits running down them, while the floor stretched on. It was just a long hallway with machinery running all along the walls.

Where was this? Moreover...where was everyone?

"Where's...Wash?" It asked as it rested a hand on its helmet-clad head. its memories were in a complete jumble. What had happened since it conked out? What happened to the Freelancer that helped save their asses when the Meta...

 _...THE META!_

It head lashed around, now remembering. That's right...Meta. Agent Maine. That mute who was after the AIs! Where was he?! Wait, where the hell even was this place?! Why could it barely remember anything?!

"Hello?!" it screamed. "Is anyone here?! Hey!"

Silence. Not a sound greeted it.

"Hey! Is anybody out there! This is an emergency! There is a psychopathic, crazy-scary mute out there ready to fuck our shit up if we don't stop him!"

Again, only silence. Soon, irritation began to form in its chest.

"Is anyone here?! Seriously! I am not fucking around! Will somebody just-?!"

 **[[...oh! Thank goodness, you're awake!]]** Relief and surprise registered in it when the voice echoed, but grew confused when it couldn't find the source. **[[It must be confusing right now, but I promise everything will make sense! Oh, right, you only just now woke up,]]** the voice giggled, abashed by their mistake. **[[This place is the Sub-Home Mainframe of my Interface System. Think of it like...a storage room!]]**

"...okay, seriously, what the fuck," it deadpanned. "You're telling me that I'm in some kind of digital storage room?"

 **[[Something like that, yes! I must say, though...you're much different than what I expected. I've never seen such a complex AI before!]]**

It groaned. Again with this crap?! How many times does he have to say it?! "Okay...look lady-"

 **[[Oh! My apologies,]]** the voice cut him off, sounding apologetic. **[[My name is Penny Polendina!]]**

"Okay...Penny. Look, I'll tell you the same thing that I told Wash, okay? You know about EMP, right?"

 **[[Electromagnetic Pulse. I'm familiar with it.]]**

"And you know it only affects anything remotely electronic, right?"

 **[[Yes...why?]]**

"That crap doesn't work on me," it stated plainly as it looked up at what it assumed was where the voice was emanating from. "Because I'm not an AI, or anything remotely computer-ish."

If the confused sound was any indication, the voice was befuddled. **[[O-oh, I see... But...if that's the case, then...what are you?]]**

"Easy!" it smirked, folding its arms. "I...am a motherfucking ghost!"

* * *

 _"Maybe you're all here because this is the only place you fit in. Maybe you're here because you don't have anywhere else to go. Maybe you're all here, because deep down, you want to be here. The reason doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here!" -Sarge_

* * *

 **A/N:** ...wow, we really have nothing better to do. I mean, we REALLY have nothing better to do other than just write this out. Then again, can you blame us? I mean, this story got freakishly popular! I swear, if this makes it to the TV Tropes stuff, I will shit a brick! Only story of mine that ever got there was Code Geass R-eset, one of my first stories, though it was just a recommendation. Still made me happy someone did that.

On another note...Church is in da house baby! HAH! Bet none of you expected that one, did ya! ...I just hope me and Daemon didn't show him off TOO early.

Now, lets talk about something...first of all, Jaune's behavior when he and the Hunter fought. I'm sorry if the fight scene was awkward and short, but I hope Jaune demolishing its ass was cool for you guys. If you remember what Connie said last chapter, coupled with what the Director and Price were talking about here...it's obvious that something is wrong with Jaune. I won't go explicitly into detail, because that would make the memory chapters too long, and I want to keep it at five, so chapter 6, we will be exploring the Freelancer Saga. Around Ch. 9 or 10, we will hit Volume 2! Another reason for this is because I don't want to dive too deeply into Jaune's journey to becoming the warrior known as Maine. That being said, he will have those awesome moments.

Also, for the record, no, I will NOT be covering the events of Recollection Trilogy, namely because Jaune's memories by that point would be so fucked up thanks to having multiple AIs in his head. He would remember bits and pieces, but not all of it.

One last thing before I go. Originally, I decided that the poll would end when we hit Dance Dance Revolution...but now I've decided to end it with the publication of chapter 5. In other words, for those who have yet to vote, this will be your last chance to do so. I've also made it a blind poll to build up suspense, since the votes have DRASTICALLY change since then! After all, Carolina's been catching up!

Actually, regarding that...I'm gonna be honest with you guys. I'm not sure if I will be able to pull off a Carolina x Jaune/Maine pairing if that's the finishing result. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm gonna pussy out of it just because I'm not okay with the outcome, its just...its hard for me to pull off romantic shit. Also, Daemon's stated that if Carolina wins, his motivation for writing this story is gonna drop. I don't blame him. We're both avid fans of Arkos, and I would have made that the official pairing from the get go, but since this is a Jaune who's been through hell and came out a scarred (both mentally and physically) bastard, so the idea of him being with someone is like a fresh start. Something for him to say, 'there's at least one person who thinks of you as a human being, not broken or fractured...or a soldier.'

Well, that's it for me. Later losers, and I'll see you all next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

_"The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." -Monty Oum_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 5: Bite the Bullet

The bar was spectacular in Maine's opinion. It was spacious, with several round tables surrounded by chairs. There were also a great deal of people here as well, chattering and drinking away while waiters and waitresses passed by offering food and drinks to their customers. The lights were constantly flashing, but they remained a soft color as to not cause some discomfort or medical problem for the others. Around the back, a small counter was found, manned by a bartender dressed in a white dress shirt, black vest and tie, and a dark goatee. When they entered, the man had given them a slight look, but gave a nod to York, who grinned back at him. It was obvious the two shared some sort of history. Anyway, they took their seats near the back of the bar, while North ordered their drinks.

"You know," York chuckled as he rested back in his chair. Like everyone else, he was outside of his armor, wearing a simple light brown shirt and black pants. "I didn't peg either of you to join in, since you don't like drinking out."

South rolled her eyes. "Oh stuff it," she said in exasperation. Maine had a hard time trying to look anywhere but her chest, as most of her cleavage was exposed by the large hemline of her v-neck, which also exposed her midriff. She also had some very well developed legs, very toned and slim, which also made it hard not to stare, especially by her shorts. "The only reason I came was because North is buying."

"Ouch," her twin brother winced mockingly, holding a hand to his heart. He wore a black shirt with white slacks. "That hurts, sis, it really does."

C.T snickered, shaking her head. She was more modestly dressed than South, wearing a dark t-shirt and baggy jeans with a few tears along the calves and thighs. "Well, can't say I blame her," she said as she smiled, taking a swig of her mug. "Still, it's a nice chance to unwind. Especially since we've been dealing with missions all month."

"Tell that to Maine," York said. "He's had the worst of it. I can understand the guys in the Top 5 of the Leaderboard, like Carolina...but Maine? Guy gets another mission a few weeks later. I'm telling ya, it's not fair to the newbie."

"You do realize that I'm sitting right here, right?" Maine frowned. He had chosen to wear a simple black hoodie and blue jeans, attire he seemed to be quite comfortable in. Oddly, though, he felt his jacket was lacking something on the front. What, he couldn't say. "Plus, I...don't mind, really. Just means more getting used to stuff like this."

Carolina shook her head. Like Connie, she had chosen something less revealing than South, though Maine still felt himself looking at her. It was a light brown tank top that didn't expose her cleavage, and was even tucked into her pants, which were dark red with combat boots laced up to the calves. Somehow, it once again brought forth that strange sense of nostalgia, and her looks certainly helped. He was sure they had met somewhere before, but where? "Well, don't get too comfortable," she advised. "Even we got to take a break every now and then."

"Wow," South drawled almost mockingly. "This? Coming from the Director's pet?"

"Hey, even I need some time to unwind, South." Carolina glared at her lightly. "There is only so much a human can take before they crumple. Even I have my own limits."

"And the number 1 on the leader board admits it." Wash raised his hands in praise. He was garbed in a black t-shirt with yellow edging on the sleeves and a pair of dark washed jeans.

"Never thought I'd see the day."

C.T chortled. "You're the last person who should be saying that stuff, Wash," she said, giving him a teasing smirk. "Need I remind you who was at the bottom for a MONTH?"

"Hurk!"

"Well, coming from the guy who's life somehow involves getting suckered punch by cars, I'm not surprised," Maine added, deciding to join in on the fun, and thus causing Wash to stare at him with betrayal. "Sorry man, but I agree with Carolina. I am holding that over your head."

"You ass!" Wash then jumped out of his seat and proceeded to put Maine in a headlock. The blonde teen was surprisingly unaffected given his newly discovered enhanced strength.

"Oi oi! Let go!"

The two's struggle caused everyone at the table to laugh. Some of the commotion caught the attention of people nearby, though they didn't pay much more into the matter and resumed back to what they were doing. "You two are like bickering siblings," C.T giggled as Maine escaped the headlock and rammed his elbow into Washington's stomach, causing him to double over. "Actually, speaking about you, how are you doing here Maine? I know it can get pretty rough, especially when you're first starting out."

"Well, it's been a pretty rough couple months...but I think I'm finally getting in the rhythm of things..." The blonde scratched the back of his head.

York smiled. "That's good at least," he said, nodding. "By the by, any news on your noggin?" Maine blinked, looking confused. "I mean, you remembered anything? Carolina told me after your last mission before joining this bunch of ours you ended up getting partial amnesia. You remember anything since?"

Maine fuddled his brow in thought. After a few seconds he shook his head, much to his dismay. "...Nope. Not a single thing. I guess that mission I was on was pretty intense."

"Well, just give it time," North advised the young Freelancer. "Some things take longer than others." He then cracked a grin. "For example, my sister coming out of the closet to say she's gay."

South, who had been drinking her beer, suddenly spat it out, splashing against Wash's face, much to his chagrin. "North!" she screeched, face red. "The fuck?! D-don't tell him that!"

"What?" North rolled his shoulders, seeing no problem. "Come on, just about everyone in Project Freelancer knows about it! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the Director knew!" He then chuckled while South continued to glare at him, clearly mortified. "You know, the most awkward thing for a brother is to walk in on his sister smooching...but its another thing altogether when you find out its a girl she's swapping spit with."

"We weren't swapping spit!" the twin growled. "A-and we weren't dating!"

"Yet."

"You know what, North? Fuck you, and the horse you came in on."

Maine sweat-dropped. "...did they do this often?"

"You have nooo idea..." The red haired Freelancer responded with a shake of her head.

"It's a pretty common sight to see." Wash shrugged as he took a swig of his drink. "...It's actually fairly entertaining."

"...huh." Well, he had to agree with Washington there. Seeing this was...actually pretty fun to watch. It got even funnier when South took a drink and dumped it on her brother's head. The result was once again the crowd erupting into laughter, especially a few of the onlookers who saw what happened to North.

 _'At first, I wasn't sure what to think about these guys,'_ Maine thought as a wide smile formed on his face, taking a drink of his mug. He idly noted how the beer tasted awful in his mouth. _'But...now that we're sitting around a table, talking, and hanging out...somehow, all of these just feels...familiar.'_

It's as if he experienced this type of atmosphere before...but where? It must've been another lost memory. But even so...it's pretty nice...

However, as he looked at them, he found himself staring back at an unfamiliar, yet heartwarming sight. The bar was gone, replaced by what looked like a lunch room. The Freelancers around him were also gone, replaced by people his age. There were six girls and one boy, each one possessing a particular character.

One was a young a silver-eyed girl dressed in a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, completed by a red, hooded cloak. Her entire outfit is made up of various shades of red and black with black as the primary color on the main suit and red on the cloak. Even her shoulder-length hair was black with a red tint to it. She had cross-shaped pins holding her cloak to her shirt. Around her waist was a belt which holds large cartridges in individual loops, as well as a magazine pouch. She has a silver rose emblem on her belt. Around her ears were a pair of dark red headphones.

Another was a teenage girl wearing a tan vest with gold piping over a yellow low-cut crop top with a black crest that resembles a burning heart. The vest she had bore puffy cap sleeves with black cuffs. On the sides of the cuffs, there are two small golden buttons. She wore a brown belt with a buckle, a pouch, and a small banner-like object. The same burning heart crest appeared on this banner, except golden in color. She wore black shorts under her belt, which resembled a pleated skirt in the back. Over the short shorts but under the belt was a white asymmetrical back skirt, with an orange infinity scarf around her neck. She wore brown knee-high platform boots that looked to be made of leather, with orange socks of different lengths. Her left leg also had a gray bandanna-like object wrapped around the top of her boot. She also had on black finger-less gloves. Her defining, and most valued trait, was her blonde hair, which is lighter in color at the tips and flowed in a loose and messy manner, with a few locks sticking out and a small cowlick on top of her head. She had a pale complexion, like the two of them, and lilac eyes.

The third was a young woman with an alabaster complexion. She had long, snow-white hair that fell to her knees tied up into a side ponytail. She was garbed in a white dress cut off mid thigh with a black lace on her chest. She wore a white long-sleeved top with a red interior and white boots that went up halfway up her shins. She wore a pair of line earrings and a silver pendant. Her icy-blue eyes were wide in surprise.

The fourth was yet another girl. She had long, wavy black hair that end at her mid back with a black bow sitting on top of her head. Her eyes were golden amber, almost like a cat's. She was dressed in a sleeveless white blouse that exposed her midriff with a black vest over it. She also wore white shorts with leggings that transitioned from black to purple on the way down and black combat boots with metal studs around the top. Around her neck was a black scarf. She had a single black, sleeve on her left arm that extended to her upper bicep while both of her wrists had black bandages wrapped around them like bands. Sheathed at her back seemed to be a sword of some kind.

The fifth was a girl with short orange hair and turquoise eyes. Her clothing was a mix and match of some sort, with different colors and themes. She wore a collared black vest that ended at her waist. Her apparent emblem, a hammer with a lightning bolt, was found on the back. Under the vest were two layers of clothing, colored red and light-blue respectively. She sported a turquoise bow at the back of her skirt. She also wore a white sleeveless top that forms a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm. She wore matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She sported a pink skirt that starts at the waist and ends mid-thigh. Her shoes were a mix of pink and white with pink laces, displaying her emblem on their soles. She also wore armor that began in the middle of the shoulder and neck and ends by the waist.

The sixth individual a male teenager with long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back. There was a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His eyes were pale pink, and wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. He also wore a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit, and light-tan pants with black shoes.

The last, however, was someone who's name eluded him...but her form was ever so familiar.

Vibrant red hair tied up in a ponytail that fell down to her waist, curled slight to a loose ringlet. Her eyes were a vivid, clear green that seemed to sparkle like gemstones. Some light-green eyeshadow was also present around the upper corners of her eyes. Her form compared to the other females of the table was tall and muscular, but still pretty slim. The top she wore consisted of two layers. The top layer was light brown and strapless split divided vertically by some bronze patterns with small embroidery on the sides. The bottom layer is a low bronze V-neck. She also wore an elastic, black A-line miniskirt and brown, opera-length gloves on both arms. A red, ankle-length drapery was wrapped around her skirt. A small, circular bronze plate was located on her right hip, opposite of two pouches that are connected to a belt. The plate bore a symbol that seemed to resemble a spear over a shield. Around her head was a bronze circlet headpiece that was seen above her ears and under her bangs. A pair of small, teardrop-shaped emeralds hung from the circlet on thin chains. She also sported a bronze gorget around her neck and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm.

Somehow, the sight made his heart begin to beat rapidly. The faces they all had were lit up and vibrant, looks of enjoyment and smiles across their faces. The blonde was talking to the black-haired girl, who seemed to be absorbed in her book. The white haired girl was speaking with the magenta-eyed boy about something. What, he could not tell. Their voices were muted, left utterly silent with only their emotions allowing them to convey their words. The silver-eyed girl was chattering away with the ginger-haired one, who seemed to be very excited. Meanwhile, the young girl, who sat next to him, smiled at him kindly.

He...he didn't understand...who were these kids? Why...why is he feeling such emotion from seeing them? He didn't know who they were and yet...why was he overcome with nostalgia and longing?!

"...ine? Maine? Helloooooo?"

"Huh? Wh-what?" The new Freelancer blinked as the image faded and reality filled his vision once more.

North stared at him in concern. "You okay there man?" he asked. "You were kinda spacing out there."

"Y-yeah," Maine nodded slowly. "I-I think...I remembered something. I...I was with a bunch of kids, they looked around my age. I don't remember who they were, or why we were there, but...i-it felt...right."

"A bunch of kids your age?" Wash questioned, at the same time relieved that his friend finally remembered something.

"Yeah...i-it was pretty weird though...I-I think we were talking about something...but I couldn't hear what they were saying..."

"Well, at least it's a step in the right direction," North said. "Can you tell us what they look like? We might be able to find something."

Maine nodded, and explained the appearances of each of the kids to them. When he told them of the last one, the red-haired girl dressed like some sort of warrior, York quirked an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that's Carolina by the hair and eye color alone," he remarked. "You sure that's what she looked like?"

"Y-yeah," the blonde said, assuring himself. "To be honest, when I first met Carolina, I felt like I knew her from somewhere...now I know why. Still, the resemblance is kind of fucking scary."

"Yeah. I agree." The brunette then turned to his lover. "...Are you sure you don't have some sort of long-lost sister or identical relative you forgot to tell me about?"

Carolina gave York a flat look. "...no, York, I don't," she said, clearly not amused before she had a pondering look. "Although...it would be interesting, seeing a girl who looks like me."

South snickered. "Last thing we need is two Carolina's," she snarked before looking at Maine. "So, who is she anyway? Your girlfriend or something?"

"I...I...I honestly don't know..." The blonde shook his head. "I think we're all close...but I'm not sure about anything past that..."

"Hey, at least there's ONE woman in your life," Wash said, causing Maine to choke and stare at him as if he grew a second head. "What? Dude, I think I speak for everyone when I tell you that you NEED to get laid. You know, work out some of that stress!"

"W-what?!" Maine fumbled. "W-Wash, that's-! I mean! Gah! You FUCK!" The blonde's face heated up in a bright red, causing the others to laugh, much to his dismay.

]What a bunch of assholes! ...yet, somehow, Maine couldn't help but feel right at home with them. Even still, however, while he was surrounded by these lovable assholes, he still felt a sense of trepidation, the same sense that lingered ever since his first mission two months ago. He wasn't sure what caused him to feel this way, or why, but the thoughts plagued him for days and nights.

He still couldn't tell the others, much less Carolina, who he was arguably closer to since she helped comfort him since his first sortie, that every time he closed his eyes, he could see them.

The dead faces of the people he killed back at the lab.

They were always there. Every time he fell asleep, they would be present in the form of nightmares, each one clawing out to him and dragging him down with them...

Sometimes, he could see them out of the corner of his eye. He was even having trouble sleeping. It was a wonder how he hadn't developed bags under his eyes yet.

While he was still bitter, at least somewhat, about being put into this program without any actual self-consent, he did feel grateful for the Director. True, there were a few things he found unsavory about PF, such as the Leaderboard, which would only drive a wedge in their teamwork skills based solely on the idea of competition, but the project had helped him out. He still had no clue about his past, despite the Counselor's assurances they would return in time, but in the meantime, he could make new ones by being with these idiots and nutjobs.

However...how long would that last? What if these...nightmares, started to make him screw up? One mistake was all it would take for a mission to go to hell, and someone would end up hurt, or worse. He didn't want that. Especially not to one of these guys.

...okay, maybe to South, but that was only because so far, she hadn't exactly made a good impression on him yet.

But still, the fact remained that this couldn't go on. He had to find a way to resolve this issue. He didn't want to be a burden, dammit. He's had enough of that! He didn't want to be some lovable idiot, stuck in a tree while his friends were fighting for their lives! He wanted to-to...

...wait...tree? Where...where did that come from...? And why was his head hurting all of a sudden? "Mnrgh..."

His grunt of pain earned the attention of Carolina, who looked at him in worry. "You okay?" she asked. "Did you drink too much?"

"I...don't know. My head just started to hurt all of a sudden. D-does alcohol tend to do that?"

"It does...but not until the next morning. THAT's when you experience hangovers..." North replied.

Wash cringed. "Word to the wise, Maine," he said in all seriousness. "If you go out drinking, make sure you have Tylenol and water when you wake up the next morning." A pause. "Although, not sure why you'd get a headache. I mean, we got the weak stuff."

"Maybe Maine's a fucking lightweight?" South offered. "Hell, Florida was one before he built up a tolerance."

"Maybe. Then again, he's still a kid. So it's probably just his first drink." York shrugged.

Maine frowned. He wasn't sure it was the alcohol causing his headache.

It was most likely the supposed memories that are slowly resurfacing in his mind.

Dammit...if only he could remember...then maybe...

...would those memories even matter? It wouldn't change anything. He would still be a soldier. A pawn on the battlefield, however despicable the idea was. In the end, having memories like those would only get in the way of his civic duty. They would weigh him down and impede his train of thought.

* * *

Pyrrha couldn't sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, her mind would drift back the the events she had witnessed hours prior. They filled her with anxiety, seeing what Jaune had to go through in the beginning. What else did he have to endure in the upcoming times that molded him to what she and the others met in Forever Fall?

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. It was seriously eating away at her. "...Pyrrha?" The red-haired girl craned her head and found Nora poking her head out from underneath the bundle of bed sheets she had gathered as a makeshift igloo of sorts. "What's wrong?"

"...I was just thinking, Nora..." She answered as she gazed at the ceiling.

"About Jaune, I take it?" Ren was the one who asked.

He was still in his bed, but was raised up slightly, propped up on his elbow. His face was wrought with plagued thoughts. "Its...not easy to look at him the way he used to, is it?" he asked. "Its only been a few months, and yet...he's changed so much."

"Yeah...I miss our fearless leader..." Nora moped.

Pyrrha smiled sadly. "...I know how you feel, Nora," she said. "I can just...only hope Jaune wakes up soon."

"If he does, we can only hope that he will be relatively placated. I do not wish for him to be as hostile as he was back in the forest." Ren shook his head.

Nora pouted. "...getting hit with your own hammer hurts."

"Agreed...and your grenades pack one hell of a punch." Ren winced as he touched his bandaged side.

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh a bit. How odd they seemed to find a lightened mood in their battle with Jaune of all people. However, as her thoughts returned to him, her mind came to those whom he worked with; the Freelancers.

To him...or rather, his persona, Maine...the Freelancers were becoming like a family to him. Washington was like the annoying little brother you wanted; you could tell he was clearly still getting used to his job. North and York were like the older brothers who looked out for you. Florida was...she wasn't sure where to put him. Wyoming was comparable to the annoying uncle. And South was...well, she was a bitch. Carolina though...was like an older sister that looked out for you and while strict, is still compassionate.

It still shocked her that there was someone who looked so familiar to her, but obviously, Carolina was competative, possessing a stronger, more thirsty drive for strength. Pyrrha had found little to no good opponents during her time in Mistral, so perhaps the same was for Carolina...though somehow, she had a feeling that it drove deeper than that. She was happy that she was looking out for Jaune in some way. Lord knows that boy needed help, even if he didn't need it. He would always try to carry the burden on himself, much like how they first met. He tried so hard to make sure no one knew he had forged his way into Beacon, and continued to forge ahead by himself. It only took Cardin's bullying and targeting her that Jaune finally accepted her offer.

Actually, regarding that, Pyrrha felt slightly proud. Even though he wasn't the same person...Jaune had grown stronger. IMMENSELY.

The fact that he was able to throw a twelve foot tall alien warrior through a set of metal doors spoke for itself. He also became smarter in combat, effectively utilizing proper tactics on the battlefield and putting his analytical skills to the test.

 _'Jaune...you've gotten so strong,'_ she thought, both proudly...and sadly. _'But...how much did you lose to gain it?'_

* * *

"...here is the data you requested regarding Agent Maine's latest reports, Director." Aiden Price said as he offered the data drive to his superior.

"Thank you, Counselor." The Director of Project Freelancer nodded as he took the drive and embedded it into the main monitor. Soon, several screens became lit, showing off footage and data schematics, all of which focused on a familiar white-armored soldier. It displayed charts regarding his improvements in ability and his efficiency in the field. Overall, it provided the Director the satisfaction of knowing that the augmentations placed on Agent Maine were gradually taking effect with each passing mission. However...it wasn't close enough. Not yet. For him to reach the level he needed, he would have to push him further. "Counselor," he turned to the man. "What do you suppose would be the most efficient method to increasing his prowess for the next stage?"

"I believe I have the specific scenario we need..." The Counselor nodded as he pulled up the file on his tablet. He then sent it to his superior, who opened it and read its contents.

"...Yes...this will do quite nicely..."

The man frowned. "With all due respect, Director, I believe it would be best to go about this at a decent pace," he advised. "True, his abilities would be valuable should we mold him properly...but if we push him too fast, he would break. That would be a most...unfortunate outcome."

"Hm," the Director hummed. "You have a point...very well. I'll let him have a grace period."

"Director," F.I.L.S.S spoke. "Agent Maine wishes to speak with you. He is currently awaiting permission out in front of the briefing room door."

The two men turned to look at one another. Maine wished to speak with them? How curious. At any rate, the Director gave the okay, allowing the door to slide open. Stepping inside the room was Agent Maine, wearing his armor, though his helmet was long gone, revealing the youthful face with messy blonde hair and the dark red eyes. "Agent Maine," Aiden Price greeted as he nodded to the rookie respectfully. "It is a pleasure to see you again. How are you fairing?"

"All things considered, Mr. Price," Maine replied. "A bit worse for wear."

"Hm, I've noticed...you have dark rings under your eyes. Have you not been sleeping well?"

The soldier closed his eyes, letting out a troubled sigh. "That's...sort of the reason why I'm here."

"Is that so?" The Counselor of Project Freelancer inquired with curiosity. "Please, take a seat and tell me about it." He gestured to the empty chair in the room.

"Okay." Maine did as he instructed and Aiden Price took pulled up another chair to seat opposite of him.

"Now...what seems to be the issue of your lack of sleep?"

"I've been having these...dreams lately," Maine told him. "Every night, I keep seeing them...the people I've killed. Carolina told me that doing this sort of thing never gets easier, and I know that, but...they're starting to keep me up."

Aiden hummed, tapping his finger against his thigh. The Director, meanwhile, listened with intent, leaning against the console next to him. "I see," the man nodded in understanding. "Well, this sort of thing is common. After all, we have been sending you out on missions every month. We were pushing you quite a bit with that last one. It is most likely the stress building. Regarding that matter, we decided it would be better if you took a break. It is best for you to catch your breath and-"

"No."

The response took Aiden by surprise. The Director's eyes narrowed, adjusting his glasses as he stared at Maine. The blonde stared back at the two men, eyes smoldering with a look that any could recognize; Drive. Thirst. Hunger.

 ** _AMBITION._**

"At first, I didn't like how I was thrown into this project without my consent," he said bitterly. "I still don't. Hell, I don't like the way you people run things, especially with the leaderboard. But...I can't deny the results that brings. By wanting to be in the top ranks, we're constantly pushing ourselves beyond our limits. I understand that perfectly. At the same time, I'm also grateful for you bringing me into Freelancer. True, I still don't remember who I was before all of this, or what I was doing...but I got to meet some of the best people in my life, and I...I don't want to let them down."

He paused, taking a deep breath and slowing standing up, turning to the Director.

"I...don't want to be the rookie. I don't want to be the screw up. I don't want to be the lovable idiot who's just sitting around while his friends are out on the battlefield risking their lives," Maine told the Director, looking him square in the eye. "I want to be...stronger than that. I want to be someone who's earned his spot here on Project Freelancer, otherwise...what good am I?"

"Get to the point, Agent Maine," the Director said coldly. "What is it your asking me?"

"I'm saying...I want you to help me get stronger. Make me into the best damned soldier you'll ever see on this goddamn ship."

His words filled with conviction and lack hesitation. Silence lingered throughout the room. The Counselor examined the Agent with a curious gaze while the Director's eyes were narrowed in an inquisitive stare. Eventually, the latter let out a shadow of a smile on his face.

...It appeared they would go through with the scenario after all.

"...Counselor, please get Mr. Hargrove on the line," the Director asked. "Inform him that we have a Freelancer available."

"At once, Director." The dark-skinned man nodded as he tapped a few keys on his tablet. Maine turned his head in curiosity. Mr. Hargrove?

"He's requested the assistance of a particularly experienced Freelancer," the Director told him. "We were initially intending to send Agent Carolina...though it appears you've shown me something equal to her. Do NOT disappoint me, Maine."

"I will not let you down, sir."

The Director gave a nod.

Unknown to any of them, however...there were another pair of eyes and ears overhearing and seeing this conversation, straight from within the console that Director was using earlier. Inside this console was a virtual world, resembling some sort of research facility. Inside was a holographic image of what looked like a soldier in white armor with black armaments, his form strangely illuminated and shimmering. He seemingly stared out at the world outside, letting out a sigh.

"That poor, poor bastard..."

He felt sorry for the recent addition to the Freelancer team...in more ways than one. Particularly, he pitied the kid because he was more or less inducted into the project against his will. He could understand why the Director wanted to make him a soldier of the highest caliber...but that sure as hell didn't mean he had to like it. All he could do was simply just watch and run algorithms that the Director wanted him to run.

"Be careful, kid...you're gonna need it."

* * *

When the Bulkhead arrived at its destination, Ozpin was greeted with a most peculiar sight. The base he was at was sitting atop the ocean, and wasn't nearly as big as some of the other bases he had been invited to. It was probably around the size of Beacon, maybe half, with only a few buildings situated and surrounded by soldiers, crated, and machinery, no doubt the research and weapon facilities. As the Headmaster of Beacon stepped out, he was greeted by a familiar man wearing a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants shared the same color as his overcoat and were tucked into silver boots accented in gray. His hair was black, with some silver and gray areas, while his eyebrows were solid black, and above his right eyebrow was a metal strip.

"Quite the base you've set up," Ozpin said with a slim smile on his face, approaching his friend. "I'm surprised the military isn't aware of it."

James Ironwood chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "If I didn't know what I do now, it probably wouldn't even exist, Oz," he told the man in earnest. "And I have you to blame for that."

"The most respected General in all of Atlas, working behind his kingdom's back with a secret project?" Ozpin joked. "I do believe hell has frozen over."

"Even I know that there are times where particular projects are meant to be confidential...even from other members of Atlas' governing body..." Ironwood replied with a stern expression.

"I see...well, I can't say I disagree. But I digress, I'm afraid I did not stop by for idle chatter..." The expression of Beacon's Headmaster became serious once more. "...what is the situation?"

The General gestured for his friend to follow. Then they walked toward one of the buildings nearby. "The armor you sent was...well, I'll be frank, Oz. We've never seen anything like this. It took us nearly ten of our best scientists just to try and figure out what was used to make the metals, and nearly everyone we had skilled in programming to hack into the damned thing. There's still a lot we're trying to learn about it, and we've only just scratched the surface."

"I'm not surprised," Ozpin commented. "Project Freelancer, from what we've seen so far from Mr. Arc's memories, is technologically advanced...something of which I am not surprised of, if humanity has truly taken to the stars."

"I still find that hard to believe."

"As do I...though I suppose stranger things have happened. Regardless, what else have you found out?"

Ironwood sighed. They soon reached a door, held shut by a series of locks. The General began to input a key into the pad next to the door. After inputting a few numbers, the locks disengaged, and the door opened, allowing them to enter the facility. "Other than what little information we could gleam from the armor, we found a few data banks. They're heavily encrypted, so its going to take a while before we can investigate it further. However, regarding the chips you sent us...well, lets just say its a good thing I'm doing this behind the council's back, otherwise we'd be having this conversation elsewhere, and in a field day."

The facility wasn't large. In fact, it looked like some sort of research room, as various tables with machinery scattered about were found all across the room, and the walls lined with several advanced computers. The white, bulky armor that belonged to Jaune Arc, the feared soldier called "Meta," sat in the center, held in place by a table while various machines were hooked up it, and several men in white lab coats working furiously to decipher its secrets.

"How so?" Ozpin asked, curious as to what his friend learned. "Is whatever data inside really that significant?"

Ironwood stopped, and looked at the Headmaster with a serious look. "Oz...those chips didn't have data," he answered. "They had AIs."

A pit suddenly formed in Ozpin's stomach. He knew where this was going. Out of all four Kingdoms on Remnant, Atlas is the most technologically advanced. But even so...they barely scratched the surface when it came to Artificial Intelligence programs. The closest thing they had to a complete AI were programs similar that the F.I.L.S.S. Program from Project Freelancer. However, the AIs that were in those chips...they were something else entirely.

"I read the reports you sent me, and I can with certainty, whatever Leonard Church was trying to do, he was risking the lives of his soldiers, and more importantly, their sanity," Ironwood said vehemently, his voice showing great disapproval. "The human mind can only process so much information. Implanting an AI, especially ones as complex as you described from that man's memories, directly into one's own neural system...that is the same as putting a gun to your head, with the safety off, and the trigger ready to be pulled at any second without your finger anywhere near it. One is stretching it, but theoretically possible...but implanting two or more? That can damage the brain to the point where the poor bastard would end up brain dead."

Ozpin frowned. "So I've noticed," he muttered under his breath. "However, what I'd like to know is...out of the eight AIs, have you succeeded in restoring one of them?"

"Yes, we have," Ironwood nodded, and they continued walking. Their destination appeared to be towards the back of the room. "However two of the AIs were destroyed, so only six are capable of being repaired. How long is the question, though. Thankfully, we have one online, but..."

The Headmaster quirked an eyebrow, seeing Ironwood's troubled expression. It seemed like he was at a loss for words, a rare sight considering that this was Ironwood they were speaking of. "But?"

"W-well...you'll see for yourself." The General gestured to the device located a few feet away from where they stood. Nodding, Ozpin stepped forward and stopped before the large machine. It consisted of several individual panels and monitors. Embedded in one of the panels seen through a glass window was one of the chips containing an AI. The General tapped a few keys on one of the main panels and the main monitor crackled to life. "This is one of the AIs we're trying to restore as we speak," Ironwood said. "According to the files, its listed as "Omega." It was the AI unit assigned to a Freelancer Agent known as 'Texas.'"

Ozpin tapped his chin. "Texas...yes, I've seen her before," he said, recalling the memories he saw. "She was quite skilled. I would have little doubt that she could be on par with even Raven...and that is no easy feat." He then turned Ironwood. "However, I fail to see why your so nervous. And since you said your trying to repair this one, I doubt that this is the one you managed to get online."

"That's-"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE WOMAN, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!" a loud, obnoxious voice screamed through the facility, catching nearly everyone off guard. "I! AM! NOT! AN! AI! I! AM! A! GHOST!"

Ozpin slowly turned to Ironwood, who groaned, face palming. "That...is the AI we restored," he said before he led Ozpin into the room he was leading him into. The door slid open with a soft hiss, and the men stepped inside. The room actually looked like some kind of bedroom, as it had a few posters of bands and movies along with a few comfort utilities lying around. However, instead of a bed, there was a chair hooked up to several machines, and the chair was oddly designed. It looked like someone was meant to lie down on it, with their body bent at a certain angle, and there was a strange green circle right where one's neck would be.

The room's occupant was a girl around the age of 17 with short, curly orange hair that came down to her chin with a pink bow in her hair. Her eyes were open wide and bright green. Her complexion was light, with freckles dotting across her nose. She was garbed in a rather old-fashioned, beige blouse with short, feminine overalls colored gray with bright green highlights. She wore a black and green collar with a matching pair of stockings. However, oddly, a holographic figure danced in front of her face. It appeared to be an armored individual, with a familiar make to a certain armor Ozpin had seen somewhere before, and the armor was glowing light blue.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Church, but I will repeat this as many times as necessary," the girl said, a cheery smile still on her face. "Your schematics clearly state that you are an AI, not a ghost! Besides, ghost don't exist, silly!"

"Bull fucking shit!" the holographic soldier snapped, clearly irritated. "I'm a ghost, not an AI! God, how many times do I have to go over this?! L-look, Penny, I ended up killing myself when I went back to the past to try and fix some shit up, only to make everything that happened in the 'present' actually happen, which included me getting team-killed by our own tank! Seriously! Just ask any of the guys on Blue or Red Team! More importantly, when the hell are you going to let me leave?!"

"When the General has fully restored your functions, and ensured that you are not a threat."

"A-a threat?! I'M NOT THE THREAT! The real threat is a fucking scary mute who can fuck your shit up in so many ways! He's as scary as my ex-girlfriend...and he's like eight of her in one package!"

The Headmaster's lips curled into an amused smile as he turned to Ironwood, who looked extremely uncomfortable. Eventually, the man coughed into a fist, causing the attention of the two to turn to them. "Penny," he said, nodding his head to the girl while pausing slightly to the holographic soldier. "Alpha."

"Oh, General Ironwood!" the girl's eyes lit up as she snapped into a salute. "Salutations!"

The holographic soldier crossed his arms. "Who the fuck's this?"

"Oh, right, you haven't met him yet! Silly me~ This is General James Ironwood, of the Altesian Military! He's why we were able to repair you!"

"Repair me?! Bullshit! How the hell can someone repair a motherfucking ghost?!" Church exclaimed in exasperation.

"Simple. It's because you are an AI." The orange haired girl replied cheerfully.

"I AM NOT AN AI!" Church screamed in a shrill manner.

"...I see what you meant now," Ozpin said slowly, doing his best to hold in his laughter. He had to admit, this was just absolutely hilarious to see. "However, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting, miss...?"

Penny bowed her head politely. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ozpin," she said respectfully. "My name is Penny Polendina. It is an honor to meet you!"

"Penny here is one of our more...special operatives," Ironwood said, clearly uncomfortable. "It was primarily thanks to her that Alpha was restored...if only partially. It seems that most of his functions were heavily damaged."

Church turned his head, grumbling. Meanwhile, Ozpin looked at the holographic soldier with interest. Alpha? Wasn't that...? Well, only one way to find out. "Hello," he said to the AI. "My name is Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

The AI tilted its head. "So...what? Your like a Principal or something?"

"Something along those lines," he shrugged. "Now, I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation...what were saying about a, as you so colorfully put it, fucking scary mute?"

"Yes! Finally! Someone who has the common sense to listen to what I'm warning you guys about! The scariest fucking mute in the Galaxy! The Meta!"

"Tall? Dressed in white armor? Violent temperment? Blonde hair?"

"Exactly! He's-wait..." Church paused. "...how do you know he has blonde hair?"

Ozpin shrugged. "Well, I should, considering he's one of my students. While you would know him as Meta, or Agent Maine, his real name is Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR...who has been missing for a few months now."

"...I'm sorry, what?" Church asked again, thinking that he misheard the Beacon Headmaster.

"The person you know as The Meta is one of my students, Jaune Arc. He has been missing in action since a few months ago, and his friends and team mates dearly missed him."

"...I repeat, what?"

"Would you like me to repeat a third time?" Ozpin raised his brow in mild amusement.

The AI didn't respond for a few minutes, most likely processing what he had just been told. Finally, he verbally responded. "...You're telling me...that the Meta...the scariest motherfucking mute in the Galaxy...the person that went around killing Freelancers, taking their equipment, and ripping out the AI from their heads...is a student at some sort of high school?!"

"As a matter of fact, yes he is."

Once again, Church was stunned silent. A while later, he spoke again. "...you're shitting me..."

"No, I am not," the man replied. "He's currently resting at the infirmary, though he has been asleep for the last few days."

"...okay, no offense man, but ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" Church screamed, his form glimmering red for a moment in response to his outburst. "That bastard nearly killed me and my team! On several occasions! All because he wanted the AIs! Look, I don't know why you brought him to your school, but the Meta, or Jaune or whatever the fuck his name is, is a nutjob who will kill every person in your school until he gets his hands on the AIs!"

As Church said this, Ironwood turned to Ozpin, his eyes narrowed. "He does have a point, Oz," he said, agreeing with the AI. "Perhaps in the past Jaune Arc was a student of yours, but this was before he became apart of Project Freelancer. He's a risk. He should be quarantined and placed under arrest. He's a danger to everyone at Beacon!"

"THANK YOU!"

"Perhaps," Ozpin nodded. "However, the fact remains that he was, and still is, a student of mine." Slowly, his eyes narrowed. For the briefest of moments, the Headmaster's eyes burned. "And I'll be damned before I let any harm come to my students."

"OH, YOU ARE SERIOUSLY NOT PULLING THIS BULLSHIT NOW!" Church exclaimed in his shrill, angry voice. "Did you not hear me?! This bastard won't stop his rampage unless he takes all the AIs! Especially the Alpha! How can you still see him as your student, or whatever, even after all this crap?!"

Ozpin adjusted his spectacles. "Because that boy has been through hell and back," he answered simply. Church was about to respond, but he cut him off with his hand. "That, and one cannot be held accountable for his actions, when those actions are performed by the acts of another. Tell me, Alpha-"

"Its Church." the AI interrupted rudely.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Right...Church. Are you familiar with the term, 'metastability?'"

"Nope. Why? And what the fuck does this have to do with the Meta?"

"Oh, I believe I know that!" Penny said suddenly, surprising everyone. She had been relatively quiet up until now, most likely because she did not want to interrupt their conversation. From what she gleamed, this Meta was a student of Headmaster Ozpin's, and despite the General and Mr. Church's words, he was adamant about wanting to protect him. "Metastability refers to the fourth and final stage of an artificial intelligence's rampancy. In this state, an AI can be, theoretically, be considered human."

"What do you mean...Theoretically?" Church asked her. "And how the hell do you even know that?"

Suddenly, Penny became quiet. Unusually so. She looked away, her green eyes suddenly losing the luster they had once before. Church and Ozpin stared at her questionably, though the latter, wanting to respect her privacy, decided to move on. "A colleague of ours, Krimzen Reed, is able to look at a person's memories," he explained. "And thanks to him, we were able to learn about Project Freelancer, and what became of Mr. Arc during his absence. Each Freelancer, at some point in time, was implanted with an AI in order to help increase their combat capabilities and run their armor enhancements properly."

"Yeah, I know that," Church remarked. "Tex had Omega...who was an asshole. And for a while, Caboose had Delta. He was like a living machine...or, whatever. I think I remember Wash telling me that the other AIs were all actually fragments of the original. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"The AI that Mr. Arc was paired with was known as Sigma. While I haven't had much a look at him due to the limited information we have...we are aware that Sigma was interested in the concept of metastability. And, as you said so yourself, the other AIs were all fragments of a single AI - the Alpha, that being you, I presume. Now, try and picture this, Mr. Church. Picture an AI in your head, an idea that is as dangerous as having a loaded gun implanted into your skull which can go off at any time, and it wants to become 'human.' However, as you are a program with living thought, such a goal is nearly impossible...but then you realize that the other programs are actually fragments, as are you. Thus, it would stand to reason that, if you could gather these fragments, you could become whole and, in theory, become 'human'...but that begs the question: how does a computer program have the means to achieve that?"

He paused, letting it sink in. The implications were dawning on the blue colored AI.

"The answer is simple...after all, your inside the head of one of the most skilled, most powerful, and most heavily equipped soldier in a ship full of experienced and talented soldiers."

"..So...This Sigma guy was using the Meta to gather Omega, Delta, and the others, even the Alpha, to achieve metastability, and theoretically become human?" Church asked.

"Precisely."

Church was silent for a while. Eventually, he spoke up. "...any chance he's, uh, you know, still lingering inside his head?"

"We removed the AI chips," Ozpin answered. "Though regarding mental damage, that is another matter."

"...you, uh...mind if I take a look at him?" The three looked at him, staring in confusion. Church shifted his position, clearly uncomfortable with the stares. "Let's just say I, uh...have some experience with, you know, dealing with mental problems?"

Ironwood stared at him with incredulous disbelief. "What sort of mental problems could you have possibly-"

"An idiot by the name of Caboose went and got himself taken over by Omega, who was a genocidal maniac by the way, so me and my ex-girlfriend had to go in and get rid of him," Church answered, causing Ironwood to blink. "And trust me when I say...Caboose's mind is a place that you do NOT want to be in."

Ozpin pushed up his glasses again, this time with a clear interest twinkling. A soft smile formed on his face. "Are you willing to help?"

"Whoa, hey now, don't get me wrong, Wizard of Oz," the 'ghost' rebuked. "I trust Meta about as far as you can throw me, but if he's dealing with some kind of, you know, mental stuff, I know a thing or two. Hell, may as well be someone's fucking shrink, since I've been inside Wash's head." He paused, then shivered. "Never again, man..."

The Headmaster smiled widely. "Perhaps we can exchange stories along the way, then. After all, lord only knows what's happening the further I'm away. A certain...rambunctious group of girls at my school finds themselves in the must curious of situations."

* * *

 _"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." -Sun Tzu, "Art of War"_

* * *

Preview:

 **The story of how Agent Maine became a soldier has closed...but the book isn't over yet. After all, before there was Red vs Blue...**

...

...

...

"Can't you stabilize him?!" Washington snapped as he ran, trying to keep up with the medics while Maine sat in the stretcher, his white armor cracked and stained with red, and his helmet littered with fractures. "Isn't there something I can do?!"

"Just stay calm, Agent Washington!" One of the medics advised him. "We have the situation under control."

...

...

 **...There was Project Freelancer...**

...

...

...

 _[Agent Maine, isn't that the soldier you fought at the freeway?]_ Sigma asked with honest curiosity, fully aware of the fiery rage building in his partner. _[The one who shot you in the throat?]_

Maine let out a low growl, glaring at the man with utter hate while his fingers curled into fists. 'Yeah...it's him.'

 _[I thought so...sic 'em.]_

...

...

...

ARC I: The Soldier Called Maine - END

* * *

 **A/N:** ...welp, we REALLY done it now. XD We are now officially obsessed with this story if we're just pumping out chapters like this! At any rate, as you can see from the preview, we are now officially heading into Project Freelancer. However, keep in mind that all of this will mostly be from Maine's point of view. Regardless, its gonna be one hell of a ride, especially since we're going to see Maine in his element~ Also, I apologize if we are rushing his character development...but I really don't want to make this 'Jaune becomes the Meta' arc last longer than five or six chapters. So, again, I apologize.

Now, regarding Ironwood...people REALLY like to bash on this guy and compare him to the Director. However, you need to remember something; this guy is an ally of Ozpin, so he KNOWS what the fuck is going on out there. He knows about Salem, so he technically has a right to be paranoid. True, he doesn't trust Ozpin at times because of his decisions, but he does have good intentions. That is what I wanted to show off here with this chapter, the man that Rooster Teeth meant for him to be shown. That said, Ironwood clearly doesn't like the idea of a murderous monster at Beacon so its gonna take a while before he can actually trust in Ozpin's decision to keep Jaune around.

As for Church and the other AIs...the basic premise is that the EMP just damaged them, but outright destroyed them except for two. As for what two AIs were destroyed, I shall not say. What I can say, however, is that Omega will be making an appearance...which is probably a bad idea. I mean, dude, hello? Murderous psychopath who represents rage? God forbid he and Adam meet. *shiver* That is a duo I don't wanna see. Will Maine also receive the other remaining AIs? That also remains to be seen. At any rate, though, Church wants to help Jaune with the mental trouble, even though they are on bad terms right now.

Oh! Also, a guest was asking how they could have removed Maine's armor when it took several machines to remove the Master Chief's. First of all, while Red vs Blue is loosely connected to Halo...dude, really? It ain't SPARTAN armor. True, (at least in my head canon since there's no way their skills are natural) the Freelancers have had their bodies augmented, but not to the same extent as SPARTAN soldiers. Removing the armor is difficult, but not impossible.

Now, before I end this...the poll results ARE IN! Ladies and gents, drum roll please!

Pyrrha - 109

Carolina - 95

Ruby - 68

Blake - 59

Yang - 53

Cinder - 53

Neo - 40

Weiss - 30

The winner is...AAAARKOOOOOS! But damn! Carolina was coming up from behind so damned close! ...and yet Weiss was still at bottom, ten votes below Weiss. I see that pairing isn't exactly popular. Oh well, least my friend and co-writer can rest easier. Well, that's it for now.

Later losers, and I'll see you all next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

_"_ _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after._

 _"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._

 _"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 6: On Your Knees

When Krimzen Reed arrived at the infirmary to check on the status of the still unconscious Agent Maine, or rather Jaune Arc, he did not expect to find the red-haired Mistral champion sitting at his bedside. Pyrrha Nikos laid there, asleep next to the blonde haired male, head resting against her arms. He would have thought that Glynda had locked the room, in case Jaune had awoken and tried to break out, even going so far as to reinforce the doors. _'How did she get in here?'_ he questioned, but then shrugged his shoulders, smiling. At least the girl had managed to get some sleep. And at his side, no less.

It didn't take a genius to know a crush when one is so blatantly obvious. Though because of such infatuation, she must have felt responsible for his current state. He knew nothing of the details regarding Jaune Arc's 'last' mission, only that he was presumed dead, or at the very least, MIA. Krimzen still had no idea how the boy could have found himself in the hands of the Director, Leonard Church, nor how he found himself in space no less. His previous memories were blocked by something. What, he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was because of his trauma from Sigma? Regardless, as a doctor, it was his duty to look after his patient, and help him however he could.

"Miss Nikos?" he called, walking over to her. He gently gave her a shove. "Miss Nikos."

"Hm...huh? W-what?" Slowly, the red-haired Amazon stirred. Sluggishly, she rose up, rubbing her eyes in a sleepy manner. "What is..." She turned, and found Krimzen standing close to her. "M-Mr. Reed?"

The old doctor smiled at her. "I see you stayed the night," he said gently. "I can understand if you're so worried about him. How long have you been here?"

"Um," Pyrrha smiled bashfully, scratching her cheek. "All...night I guess. I waited for Ms. Goodwitch to leave. As for how I get on here..." Her eyes drifted to the windows. Krimzen turned, and found them slightly ajar, and the metal lock slightly bent out of shape. He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her. "W-well, I..."

Krimzen shook his head in amusement. "I won't say a word, if that's what you're worried about," he said, smiling. However, his eyes developed a worried, forlorn look to them. "However...I assume that...you wish to continue the session from yesterday?"

"...yes." The answer came with almost no hesitation. Her eyes turned to Jaune's unconscious form, and her hands coiling around one of his own. Idly, she noted how rough they felt. They were so much different from how they used to be. Back then, they were soft and gentle, and smooth...but now they were callous, touched with scars. It only made her heart ache even more, thinking about what he must have had to endured. "I...I want to know..."

The doctor sighed. "Ms. Nikos," he said, sitting on the bed next to her, careful as to not disturb the patient. "I understand how you must feel...however, you are rushing this. I cannot begin to imagine how this must be for you, to see someone you care for no longer the person you once knew them as...but if you continue to trudge forward with no clear destination, you will only crash and burn."

"But...But I..." The doctor held a hand up to cut her off politely.

"I know you are worried for Mr. Arc...and guilty for what happened to him. But would he really wish for you to strain yourself like this?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak again, only fall silent. She let out a defeated sigh. He was right. Her leader...her friend, wouldn't want her to be pushing herself like this. "Even still," she continued. "I..."

"I understand your concern, Miss Nikos." Dr. Reed responded. "But you must learn to have patience. Whatever Mr. Arc went through will not be resolved in a short amount of time. He has experienced years of combat on the battlefield and endured numerous traumatic events."

Pyrrha bit her lip. "I...I know that, but I..." Her hands tightened around his. "I...want to see it for myself. I want to know what Jaune went through...how he became this...Maine person that we fought back at Forever Fall." She then looked at the doctor with pleading eyes. "And if...if I can bring him back to the person he used to be."

Krimzen looked at the girl in the eye...seeing her desperation and determination. She was driven in her pursuits...if only she realized how deep Agent Maine was in his trauma. Either way, nothing he would say would disway her. In the end, he sighed. "Alright, then..."

* * *

[TRAINING SIMULATION: Level X. ROOM HAS BEEN CLEARED FOR AGENT MAINE. AWAITING STAND-BY.]

The room was dark. The training room was silent, the only sounds echoing were the harsh falls of footsteps of Maine, who then stopped once he was in the middle of the room. His hulking form was eerie, even in the dark, and his helmet glared back at whatever was in front of him. Behind him, his shotgun waited, primed and ready for combat. In his hand was his magnum pistol. He gave it a brief inspection, checking to make sure everything was in order. Then, the room began to slightly light up. Holographs began to develop, forming ciruits resembling human bodies, and then solidifying into what looked like armor. Then the lights died out, leaving only the simulation soldiers, all of which bearing the same armor as the Insurrectionists.

[SIMULATION WILL COMMENCE IN 3...2...1...]

The buzzer resounded, and the room lit up, revealing over fifty soldiers in total, all of them surrounding Maine.

 **[Play: Caffeine - Jeff Williams & Casey Lee Williams, feat. Lamar Hall]**

And each one carried an assault rifle, every one aimed at him.

[BEGIN]

As soon as F.I.L.S.S. said that word, they all opened fired. As there were fifty soldiers, one would expect the poor soldier facing the brunt of it to be turned into swiss cheese. However, no soldier was the same as Project Freelancer's Agent Maine.

The hulking Freelancer moved with deft movements, quickly evading the storm of bullets before ducking into a nearby panel for cover. Some were quick to follow, clearly out to try and kill him. He gave a brief look at his shields. No damage so far. He then looked at the grenades he was given for this simulation. Four frag grenades and four sticky grenades. Not a lot to work with. But for this amount...it'd be enough. He grabbed a sticky grenade in his free hand as he clutched the grip of his pistol.

He peered out from his cover. Some were spread out, but he found a few who were clumped together. A foolish mistake on the battlefield. To congregate numbers en masse merely makes them a bigger target just begging to be mowed down. His response to their foolishness? He chucked the grenade in the direction of the largest group. It landed in the ground, giving off a blue hiss. It caught the attention of some, but the sound of gunfire drowned out any screams of panic. Meanwhile, he took the time to shoot back, trying to pick off as many as he could before the explosion.

He aimed his pistol and pulled the trigger. A shot tore through a soldier's skull, another right through the leg, another to the heart, and so forth.

After shooting ten rounds, he was forced to change clips. He wasn't too worried though. The bomb went off, killing a cluster of soldiers. Many were thrown off their feet by the explosion. Agent Maine then switched out for his shotgun, and decided to get up close and personal. With the simulation soldiers now dazed, it was time to introduce them to more...extreme measures.

He rushed up towards the nearest one and jabbed the muzzle into its ribs.

 _*bang*_

The round blasted open its ribcage through the armor. He then spun around and bashed another solider in the throat with his weapon. One tried to pump him full of bullets from behind, but he whirled around, and grabbed the soldier by the neck. Several then whirled around, getting their bearings, and tried to gun him down, only for Maine to use the soldier in his hand as a meat shield. He then charged toward the next group of soldiers, using the body as a means of getting close. Once he was within range, he hurled the body to his attackers and knocked them down. He then aimed his shotgun and incapacitated the group of three.

The splash shot of the gun killed them instantly. He gave a quick look at his HUD to see the remaining simulation soldiers. There were approximately thirty left. He needed to end this quickly. He pulled out a frag grenade from his belt. He threw it at a random direction, and then focused on the soldiers around him. He whipped out his magnum pistol and shot two more in the head before switching to his shotgun and firing at a soldiers back.

In seconds, he was holding his shotgun in one hand, and his magnum in the other. He heard the frag go off, killing more soldiers, but paid it no mind. He let out a growl of anger when he saw that his overshields were dropping. Being stationary and focused in a single area meant that he was being shot at far too much. At this rate, he was about to suffer hard. Simulations they may be, the damage they do can simulate actual bullets. He vaguely remembered Wash mentioning that being shot in the head felt too real, and that he 'blacked out' for several seconds, like his brain was trying to figure out whether or not he had actually been shot in the head.

He wouldn't let that happen to him. He would pull through and overcome this. That was what he strove for. To be the strongest soldier in Project Freelancer. To be able to protect his new family. Its what he's been working for the last five years.

When he realized he was out of ammo, he threw his shotgun away, and took out a sticky grenade. He charged up to the nearest soldier, and slammed it straight into his face. The bomb stuck to the helmet, and was thrown into the thick crowd of soldiers. Maine then spun around, and fired off a few rounds at the simulation soldiers behind him.

The grenade went off behind him, swallowing the unfortunate group in a fiery blaze. Maine let out a few more rounds before he found that his gun was also out of ammo. Growling, he threw it aside, and then looked back around him. The crowds had thinned. Then he looked at his HUD screen.

 _'Fifteen left, huh?'_ he thought before his eyes burned. _'Let's make it zero.'_

He pulled out two more of his grenades. One frag, one sticky. He tossed the frag grenade in the air, while clutching the sticky in his hand. He needed to time time this just right. Once the frag reached its apex, it slowly descended downward. Maine kept his eye on it, prepping the sticky grenade to throw. The soldiers, unfazed, were ready to open fire on him again. The frag reached his face.

Then he smirked.

He hurled his sticky grenade with all his might. The glowing explosive struck the descending grenade as the force of the throw propelled both forward to the remaining batch of soldiers. The frag smacked one soldier in the head, causing it to hit into the air once again, and thus giving Maine the opportunity to use him as a springboard. He ran forward, and jumped, slamming his foot on the simulation soldier's head to take to the air. He grabbed the frag grenade, and then threw it behind him, straight into the thick of soldiers that had tried to shoot him down now. The grenade struck one of them in the chestplate before going off. The explosion was stronger, due to the sticky grenade being stuck to the frag. Most of the soldiers behind him were now blown apart and splattered across the floor.

Now all that were left were a lowly three soldiers.

The remaining soldiers raised their guns, though Maine had one other weapon on him. Two, actually. His bare hands, and a combat knife. He ran for the closest one, standing to the left. They tried to shoot him down, but he was moving quickly. Within seconds, he was at his target. He raised his rifle to open fire, but he moved in fast, ducking underneath the point-blank barrage before delivering a swift uppercut, knocking the soldier away and staggering. He whipped out his knife, and jammed it straight into the helmet, ending their life instantly. He then ripped the rifle from their hands and opened fire at the remaining two. The guns were blown out of their hands, and thrown away from them.

He wasn't about to give them time to retaliate, however. He gunned down one of them, pumping them full of lead, before he turned to the next. Unlike their companion, this one was smart. It began to dart around, avoiding the gunfire while charging at him.

Soon, Maine ditched his rifle and grabbed the soldier by the throat when it got close enough. He then grabbed it by the shoulder and fell back into a suplex hold, bashing the soldier's head into the ground behind him. The two hit the ground, and the soldier left dazed. Maine got up first, and pinned the soldier down, ramming one knee down on their chest. He then pulled back his right fits before smashing it into the soldier's visor. He repeated the same motion with his left arm and continued the process.

One strike.

Two strikes.

Three.

Four.

Five.

The process repeated itself, even when the soldier's helmet crumpled beneath the blows and Maine felt his fists strike flesh and bone over and over.

The final blow was delivered, hands clasped together, and swinging them down. The last strike tore flesh, metal, and bone together. The ground crumpled beneath the weight. Maine pulled back his hands, looking at his work. Blue pixels were glitching and flashing, due to the damage he had inflicted. The same could be said for the rest of the dead soldiers, all seeming to struggle, trying to remain where they were. Slowly, the soldier stood, shrugging off the tension in his body before looking at his HUD screen.

It read: ZERO.

He gave a deep sigh, letting all of the stress inside of him release and calm before speaking. "Time!"

[EXCELLENT WORK, AGENT MAINE. YOU COMPLETED THE TRAINING EXERCISE IN THREE MINUTES AND FORTY-THREE SECONDS.] F.I.L.S.S. announced.

Mar 19Maine groaned. "Seriously?" he asked, removing his helmet. The metal separated from the black material with a hiss, letting his blonde locks fall. His hair had grown slightly longer, and slightly more messy, the fringe now covering the right eye. Despite five years of training, however, he still looked the same as he always did. The face of a young teen, despite now being in his twenties. "Dammit, three seconds behind...so close."

"Eh, don't feel too bad, Maine," he heard someone speak up from behind. Maine turned, and found York walking toward him, his helmet underneath his arm. "Still pretty impressive. Hell, you had it on the highest difficulty too." The brown-armored soldier then let out a whistle of appreciation. "Man, and to think, it was only yesterday when you were a bundle of nervous...now you're just a cold bastard."

The blonde gave a shrug. "Had to improve somehow, right?"

York wasn't wrong on that point. When he first started out, he tried to put his mind on the mission, which definitely showed, but sometimes he let his mind wander. He couldn't let that happen, though. What if he made a mistake, or screwed up? If he did, his friends...the family he made here on Project Freelancer would be in danger. So, he asked the Director to help him get stronger. From there, he was put through the proverbial ringer, taking on tougher missions that were usually meant for those in the top 3 of the Leaderboard. He found himself constantly being pushed to the edge. Some missions were more...horrible, than others. It was only a matter of time before he caved in to the pressure and broke down. The Counselor tried to help him rid himself of the burden, but the nightmares...they didn't stop. If he continued to let his mind get in the way, he was going to crash and burn.

So he found a solution...compartmentalize everything. Here, with everyone, he could be the lovable idiot...but out there, on the battlefield, he would be what the Director expected of him. A soldier. Someone who could watch his friends' backs without having to rely on his own personal feelings. He made a promise to get stronger, to become the best soldier...and it was showing. He got results. He completed missions with brutal efficiency. South had once commented that he was like two-faced showing one side to everyone and another side out there to others. Regardless, Maine found this method to be effective. He could worry about the missions'...lasting effects on himself when everything was over, an then let everything smooth out.

But on the battlefield, he would be a soldier first and foremost. He would suppress his other self for the sake of completing the mission successfully. He would not let his own anxieties and fears impede him and drag his comrades down. He was a soldier...and his actions strove to serve the greater good of Project Freelancer.

That, and it did strike some fear into the Insurrgents. Soon as they saw the white armor, they immediately knew they were fucked...or at least that's what Florida told him.

"So, what are you doing here?" York asked. "Shouldn't you be relaxing? I mean, you got back from your last job like a week ago, man. You're gonna tire yourself out at this rate."

"I'll be fine." Maine waved his friend's concern off. "Just keeping myself alert and prepped for when the next mission comes. The Insurrectionists are getting smarter as time passes, York. We can't let them get ahead of us."

The brown-haired man pondered that, and then nodded in agreement. "Well...guess you got a point, there. Oh yeah, did you hear?"

"Hear?" Maine tilted his head. "Hear what?"

"We got a newbie...and she's picking a fight with Wyoming in the Locker Room," he said before chuckling. "Heard some of it, and whoo boy...never thought I'd hear the day when someone would call Wyoming a cocksucking british Shisno."

Maine quirked an eyebrow. "...shisno?"

"Dunno, but apparently, it means 'worse than shit' in alien. As for how we know that, and only translated that much, don't ask. I think we're better off not knowing."

"Huh...so what's this rookie like?"

"Name the most violent girl you've met."

"If by violent you mean bitchy, I'd say South. Otherwise, I'd say Carolina. Why?"

"Well this rookie is like Carolina...times eight." York answered.

"...Oh lord..." Maine winced. Oh boy...sounds like the dysfunctional family got another girl with issues. He held nothing against South other than her occasional bitchiness, but the fact that there was a girl who's got a temper worse than Carolina just basically told him that he should expect a lot of things. "Is she still with Wyoming?"

"Probably."

"Should we go save him?"

York sighed, scratching his head. "...if we gotta."

* * *

Pyrrha was conflicted by the battle she had just witnessed.

One one hand...she was impressed with how Jaune had managed to fight off all those simulation soldiers. On the other hand...the way he dispatched them and his current mindset greatly disturbed her. Seeing her confusion and worry, Reed had shown her how he developed this mindset. He showed her the meeting between the Director of Project Freelancer and Jaune, and how Jaune had asked to become stronger. His speech had reminded her of when they spoke upon the rooftop that one night, when she learned he lied his way into Beacon. He had asked to be a soldier...the best damn soldier Project Freelancer would ever see. The sight warmed her heart, yet she was filled with trepidation.

After all...it was one thing to ask for help like training from a friend, but this Director was the person who egged him on to kill civilians just because they were on the other side of the battlefield.

She was growing more and more worried about him. Just what had he become between then, and what she saw? When he spoke with York, he seemed like his usual self, but back then...he was brutal. Powerful. Like a berserker out for blood. It was like...it was as if he had two personalities. One being the lovable idiot she and the others knew...and the other being this cold, ruthless, soldier.

Perhaps, in a way, the girls were right...Jaune wasn't there, but at the same time he was. It would more apt to say that the one who spoke with York was the blonde lovable idiot, and the one out on the battlefield is the soldier they faced back at Forever Fall. Just the thought of it chilled her to the bone. Was he really that far gone as to split his personality in two to accommodate different environments?

In way, though, she might have understood why. She remembered how he was on his very first mission. How he was traumatized by the fact he took the lives of innocent civilians under orders, and how he desperately tried to suppress them to continue with the mission.

"Why," the so-called Invincible Girl whimpered, tears threatening to fall from her face. "Why does it have to be him...?"

* * *

"I-I beg your pardon?! Now, see here, madam, I am nothing of the sort!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, asshole." The black-armored soldier scoffed at the white armored Englishman. They had been at this for the past ten minutes...all because Wyoming started it. Maine didn't know the full details, but according to York, Wyoming had tried to mess around with her. Sadly, he was not aware of her fiery temper, and it lashed out at him, thus leading to the argument they found taking place. Like everyone else, the newbie was dressed in high tech armor, though hers was of a dark color, nearly black with an orange-colored visor. Wyoming was without his helmet, thus revealing his angered expression.

"W-why you little tramp!" the sniper growled. "While its usually not my place to hurt a woman, you are testing my patience!"

The newbie snorted. "Your patience?" she asked, taking a threatening step forward. "You started testing mine when you decided to call me out. What, can't take a few jabs yourself? Let me guess, that rifle you carry with you is for compensation for something."

"...she's like Carolina with South's attitude rolled into one," Maine sweat-dropped. "Only without the bitchiness."

"I hear ya...just don't let either of them hear you say that..." York commented.

 _'Do I look suicidal to you?'_ Maine thought back, giving the man a slight glare before looking at the two. If this continued to escalate, the newbie was going to get into trouble. Having worked with Wyoming enough, the man tend to have a more cruel side. Hell, Maine was sure the only reason he became a Freelancer was because of the good pay. Plus, if the newbie got into a fight on their first day here, it would only cause them trouble. With that in mind, he stepped in.

"Alright, you two, break it up."

Both soldiers paused in their fight and turned to the approaching duo. "Maine? York? What are you doing here?" Wyoming was the first to ask.

"Maine just got done with training," York answered, following Maine from behind. "As for me, I'm just waiting for my next assignment." He then gave the sniper a look. "Now, why the hell are you picking a fight with the new guy?"

"SHE started it!"

The newbie growled. "Like hell!" she shouted. "You threw the first shot, stache face!"

"Hey! DO not mock the mustache! I do take a good deal of pride in it!"

"Whoa whoa, hey now!" York immediately got between them. "Look, let's both calm down!"

"The only way I'll 'calm down' is if I rip that mustache of this bastard's face!"

Wyoming growled, and tried to rush up to her, only for Maine to step in his way. "Back off, Wyo," he warned, his eyes burning red. "Unless you want this to get ugly." The Englishmen wanted to retort, but he knew better than to cross Maine when he's like this.

He gave a warning look to the newbie, bearing his teeth and showing his frustration before he took his helmet and rifle, and stormed off. As he did, York sighed. "Geez, a fine day to have his scope rammed up his ass," he muttered before looking at the newbie. "Sorry about Wyoming. He can be a real dick sometimes."

"So I noticed," she scoffed. "And for your information...I didn't need any help."

"Maybe...but we could tell things were gonna get ugly. And while Wyoming could be annoying with his knock knock jokes, we still consider him a friend...more or less." Maine shrugged.

The newbie crossed her arms. "You consider that asswipe a friend?"

"...depends on the time of the month," he confessed. "Anyway...welcome to Project Freelancer, I guess? My name's Maine, and this is York," he gestured to the brown-armored solider next to him. "It's a pleasure, uh..."

"Texas," the new Freelancer introduced herself. "But call me Tex." Then she paused, and her arms dropped. "...wait, you said your name was Maine?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yeah...why?" The dark armored soldier paused and walked right up to him. Her visor was a few centimeters away from his face, as if examining him. The blonde blinked, as did York. What was she doing? "U-um...can I help you?"

"...you're younger than what the Director told me," Texas stated, causing the two to stare at her in confusion. The Director had spoken to her about him? Why? What was going on? "You're on the sixth spot on the Leaderboard, aren't you?"

 _'I've got a bad feeling about this,'_ Maine thought, but then gave a nod. "Y-yeah...w-"

"Fight me."

"Wh-what?" Both Freelancers looked at the rookie in confusion.

"From what I hear, you were the newest recruit before me, and you managed to reach the leaderboard in a short time and stayed there for quite a while." Tex clarified. "That's why...I want to fight you."

"M-Me?"

Tex nodded. "Yes, you. And I'm not taking no for an answer."

* * *

Pyrrha had to admit, the ferocity and ambition Tex had surprised her. Though her face couldn't be seen, she could practically feel the desire coming from her. An ambition that wanted to be sated. She had something to prove here. She had to admit, she felt the same way when faced with opponents. She wanted to fight someone who could give her that satisfaction, the idea of being able to fight all out, and come out panting and exhausted. Most of the time, the opponents she fought with barely posed a challenge to her. It wasn't that they were poor fighters...it was just that her semblance turned the tide of battle to her favor.

Also...was it just her, or did Tex sound a lot like Professor Goodwitch?

Their voices sounded so familiar, but their tones were completely different. Goodwitch was strict and no-nonsense, becoming very irritated when someone interrupted her lessons. Tex, however, demonstrated traits she herself had, a strong desire to fight someone who could match her, measure for measure. It appeared that Tex found someone who could possibly give her that - Jaune.

...Now she was REALLY worried for her friend.

 _'Somehow...this won't end well.'_

* * *

"...I know she asked me to fight her, and I can understand York being here...but why did you decide to join the bandwagon, Wyoming?" Maine asked the Englishman who was testing the weight of his pugil stick. The white-armored soldier had been down in the training room when they arrived. Going by how he tensed when he saw Texas, it was clear he was expecting a brawl. York had insisted that he fought with Maine, if only because of the feeling he had. Texas didn't seem to mind. In fact, unless he was imagining things, he'd say that she was actually approving the gesture, as if the prospect of fighting two individuals in the top 10 of the leaderboard excited her.

Back to the present, Wyoming gave a shrug. "Director just said I should come here is all," he said simply. "Although, I'm amazed. That lass challenged you? Up front?"

"Oh yeah," York nodded. "And she didn't object to me joining in, either. Something tells me she's like Carolina when she's fired up. Enjoys a challenge." He then looked over to the black-armored Freelancer, who was testing out her pugil stick, giving it a few swings. "And going by the fact that she hasn't said anything...I think she's waiting for you to hop in on the fun too, Wyoming."

The Britain smirked beneath his helmet. "Sounds perfect to me."

[ATTENTION,] F.I.L.S.S spoke through the comm systems. [THE TRAINING MATCH BETWEEN AGENTS MAINE, TEXAS, WYOMING, AND YORK WILL COMMENCE SHORTLY.]

Maine blinked. "Wait, what?" he questioned. "All four of us?" He looked at the digital screen. To his shock, the match was...three on one?! "Wait, the fuck?! I-isn't that unfair?! I mean, Texas just joined!"

He'd understand if it'd be one on one. Even two on one if it were stretching it. But three Freelancers against one new recruit? That's overkill. How could the Director approve of this? Unless...he understood the new recruit's abilities. York seemed to reach this conclusion as well, as he suddenly turned weary. "Hey, Texas," he called out from his side. "Before you joined PF, what did you do before this, if you don't mind me asking?!"

"Sorry, but I do mind!" Texas hollered back, resting the shaft of the pugil stick on her shoulder.

Wyoming chuckled. "Shot down, it seems," he remarked before looking up, seeing quite a number of personnel gathered around the windows. "And we have an audience."

York and Maine looked up to see some of the other members of Project Freelancer observe their little exhibition match. South, C.T. and even Carolina were there. "South?" York questioned. "I thought she and North were out on a mission?"

"Must have gotten back," Maine said. He then took a deep breath. This was just a simulation...training. Sparring. There wouldn't be a need for him to go into his "Freelancer" persona, as he dubbed it. "Alright, boys...showtime."

[THE MATCH WILL NOW BEGIN IN 3...2...1...]

Then the buzzer went off.

[BEGIN.]

 **[Play: This Means War - Nickelback]**

The three Freelancers charged in at once with their pugil sticks poised to strike. However, when they got close enough, Texas smacked them all away with an impressive display of strength in a single stroke. "Ooof!" Maine grunted as he landed flat on his back, skidding back a bit before he clambered up to his feet. York landed next to him, managing to hit the ground feet first rather than tumble like Wyoming did. "Damn...all three of us in one hit?"

York groaned. "Yep...its another Carolina."

"Great..." Maine muttered in sarcasm. Now that that's been established...he's debating whether or not he should use his Freelancer Persona...

Wyoming jumped up to his feet, shaking off the damage. He charged right back into it. Texas didn't seem the least bit concerned, spinning the weapon they were given around. The sniper came in close, trying to knock her off of her feet. Her response was to slam her pole into the ground and hop around it, leaving Wyoming's attack to miss completely and receive a boot to the face, and throwing him back again. Maine studied her carefully, trying to look for chinks. Then he looked at York. "So...ready to run back into the thick of it?"

"That all depends," York replied cheekily. "Who's payin' for dinner?"

"The guy who got his ass kicked the hardest."

"Then I'll be sure not to get beaten too badly."

Maine smirked back, and then the two charged together, running past a dazed Wyoming. Tex charged forward, meeting their advance. York raised his stick for an overhead strike while Maine came in for a side sweep. Tex defended against them easy, her staff blocking both strikes. She parried, and bent down for a low sweep. The two jumped up to evade, with the brown-haired soldier twisting his body around in mid-air to strike at her with her back exposed. Tex, however, proved to be quite swift, as she spun her pungil stick to defend, lightning clashing with their weapons. When he landed on his feet, Maine went for a thrust while keeping his back to hers. She tilted her body to the side, letting the staff pass below her arm, and letting her catch it.

With a swift tug, she made Maine lose his balance just so she can sweep his feet out from under him and throw him over her shoulder.

Maine let out a grunt as he landed flat on his back. York tried to retaliate, but found himself striked in the chin, a bolt of thunder smashing against the edge of his helmet and throwing him into the air. With a twirl, she slammed the pugil stick into his abdomen, sending him flying. She turned, and set her sights on Maine. The blonde gritted his teeth. _'She's strong,'_ he noted as he stood up. _'If I didn't know any better, I thought I was fighting Carolina when she's pissed off.'_

It was hard to believe that this woman was a new recruit. She fights like a fricking veteran! "Hey York!" Maine called as Tex approached. "You okay?!"

The brown-armored soldier groaned, shaking his head. He still felt a bit dizzy from when he was thrown and landed on his head. "Peachy," he called back. "Any ideas now, kid?"

"Yeah...you remember that job two years ago? You know, with those pirates me, Carolina and Wash ran into few years back?"

"Why?!"

"You remember our old combo?!"

York stared at Maine for a second before smiling under his helmet. "Sure do!"

"Then on my mark! Mark!"

"Sync!"

Tex was confused by what they were talking about, but didn't take any stock into it. Whatever they were planning, she could handle it. So far, though, she was beginning to wonder if Maine was really as strong as the Director said. Sure, his physical strength was impressive, but so far, she hasn't seen anything worthwhile. Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise her. Regardless, she readied her pugil stick as Maine got back up to his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw York getting back up.

* * *

 **(Outside of Memory)**

 **"Gotta admit, she's got some moves on her," North said as he watched the fight. "Not many can keep up with York...or Maine for that matter when he's serious."**

 **"Yeah, maybe," Washington agreed. "But something tells me York and Maine aren't gonna go down without a fight. Also...what's this about a combo?"**

 **Carolina smiled in reminiscence, recalling the mission that York had told her about. "Those two worked together for a while a few years ago. Director said that it was necessary since they had the skill sets he needed. Apparently, they learned a thing or two while working together. I sparred with them a while back to see what they came up with."**

 **"And?" South turned to her. "How'd blondie do with York?"**

 **"They nearly broke my undefeated streak."**

 **North whistled. "This ought to be interesting then."**

* * *

Tex whirled around on her feet, going on for a swing that would strike at the helmet. Maine ducked underneath, only for Tex to use the momentum and reverse her motion, spinning around the opposite way and go in for a second, faster strike. This time, he angled his body just so the pugil stick would fly right across his body, spars dashing slightly against his armor due to how close they were. The new Freelancer's weapon spun around her arm and flicked it into her hands, going on for an overhead strike. Quickly, he brought the stick up to his face, and braced himself. She swung down hard, and nearly threw him to his feet.

Then York came into the picture. "Hey, Tex!" he called out. She looked over her shoulder, and to her surprise, he was holding the pugil stick in a familiar fashion. "Catch!" With a strong throw, the shock stick was sent flying straight at her, like a javelin. She adjusted her body, letting it fly past her torso, letting off the pressure she was putting on Maine.

That was a mistake.

In a split second, Maine grabbed the flying pugil stick, and using the fast momentum to his advantage, he spun around, not letting it lose speed, and swirled around, delivering a solid strike. It was blocked, but the tip nearly came close to her helmet. Then Maine surprised her again, as he tossed his stick up into the air above them. She heard the sound of rushing, and turned over her shoulder. York was running towards her. Was he intending to strike while her back was turned? Bad idea. She'd crush him for even trying. While hand-to-hand wasn't exactly used in a fight with pugil sticks, it wasn't forbidden either. However, she was proven wrong when he jumped over her, and grabbed the stick, right near the end.

Beneath his helmet, York grinned, and while looking down at Texas, as his body was facing hers from above, he went into a forward somersault, and swung, letting it strike her dead in the fast.

Sparks splashed against her face, and the attack stunned her considerably, as she found herself stumbling back. For a moment, she was confused. What the hell happened? Where did that come from? When she regained her senses, she found herself staring at York and Maine, standing side by side, armed against her. She wasn't sure what happened, the strike had jumbled her up for a moment. When she regained herself, she was struck in surprise.

She...had been hit?

She must've been...otherwise she wouldn't have been stunned like that. It looks like these two have some moves after all... The black clad Freelancer grinned. Things were now getting interesting.

* * *

Pyrrha was smiling. _'That's the Jaune I know.'_

From the beginning of the exhibition match, she's had a feeling of trepidation. It's been this way since she's witnessed Jaune's brutality in combat. However, so far, she had only seen the abilities and mentality of the team leader of JNPR. He worked exceedingly well with York, acting together as a single unit as they managed to force Texas back. And for that, she was relieved. Relieved knowing that Jaune was still in there somewhere.

"Yo, doc, you in?" a familiar voice called out. The scenery shimmered, as the doors to the infirmary opened, revealing Team RWBY, Ren and Nora. "We came to-whoa, what's going on here?!"

"We're in the middle of viewing another memory." Krimzen Reed replied without looking.

Ruby frowned, putting her hands on her hips while giving Pyrrha the most cutest death glare ever. "Pyrrha, we talked about this!" she said, clearly not happy. "We promised to look at this together!"

"I'm sorry a Ruby..." The Spartan apologized. "I just...I just couldn't take it..."

Yang sighed. "You really need to calm down, Pyrrha," the fighter suggested as she walked next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you're worried about Vomit Boy, but you need to calm down. I get it, you feel like crap for what happened back there, but he wouldn't want you to crash and burn."

"I know but...I need to know what happened to him..."

"We all do, Pyrrha," Ren spoke. "But you don't have to do this all by yourself. After all, we're all here with you." To emphasize this, he gestured to the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training within the room, all staring at her with consolation and sympathy.

A smile reappeared on her face. "I'm sorry...thank you guys..."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Yang grinned before she looked at the memory currently playing. "So, what's Vomit Boy getting himself intooooooo whoa holy crap! Is-is she strangling that white dude with a staff?!" The group turned to face to what Yang pointed out, and sure enough, Tex was choking Wyoming behind her. She was holding onto her pugil stick with both hands to block his wind pipe.

"...who's she?" Nora asked, eyes glimmering. "Can she teach me to do that?!"

Pyrrha sweat-dropped. Knowing their luck, she wanted to do that to Cardin. Not that she blamed her. Even though Jaune had saved him, he was still a complete ass. "That's Texas," she said. "The newest recruit of Project Freelancer. This is five years after the last memory, and since then, Jaune's gotten stronger." As the rest turned to watch the memory, they witnessed Wyoming struggle to get out, even aiming his pugil stick to strike him from the gap below his arm. However, Texas applied greater pressure, and proceeded to throw him into the air, and then slammed the stick straight into his privates, the end hitting him straight in the nether regions. The result was enough to cause the girls to gape and the lone male to cringe, feeling the sudden urge to protect his family jewels. Wyoming let out a low whine as he slowly fell off the stick, and hit the ground with a plop. "...that had to hurt."

* * *

[END OF MATCH. POINT TO TEAM 1.]

Maine panted, sitting on the ground while York rested on his knee. It had taken them ten minutes to get enough damage on Texas to end the first round, though Wyoming was now in serious pain, evident by how he was clutching his nuts. The two men did not blame him. It had to hurt. "So..." the white-armored Freelancer asked, tired and exhausted. "What's the next round?"

"Hand-to-hand," York replied, trying to catch his breath. "So...we got round 1, but what are our odds here?"

"Well, if she's anything like Carolina...We should probably have a medic team standing by..." Maine confessed.

[BEGINNING HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT. MATCH WILL BEGIN IN 5...]

After Wyoming managed to get over the aching pains in his nuts, he joined York and Maine, with the latter to York's right, and Wyoming to his left. Meanwhile, Texas shrugged off the tension from the earlier match, and began to crack her knuckles and shoulders and neck, obviously looking forward to this. Maine noticed how she seemed a bit more confident than usual. 'Is hands-on combat more her forte?'

If it is...then she is definitely like Carolina...they really should've called that medic team for standby...

[2...1...ROUND BEGIN.]

"Okay guys, let's play this by the book." York began. Noticing how Tex acted when learning they'd be switching to CQC, it would be best to remain wary. "Wyoming, you flank her from the right..." The man didn't listen. He charged in straight forward, rushing at her and hoping to take her down easy. Sadly, he sorely underestimated her, as a right hook was enough to send him flying, his backpiece scraping the floor. "...or you can rush in and get knocked out," York sighed before turning to Maine. "Okay, kid, let's stick together, and wear her down. She's gotta tire out at some point."

"Got it." Maine nodded. He wasn't going to be stupid. They were going to need a solid plan to best her.

"Right. Now on my mark. Mark!"

"Sync!"

The two charged in, ready to dive back into the thick of it. Tex smirked but remained cautious. These two took her by surprise during the last match. But Hand to hand combat was her forte. Truth be told, she preferred fighting with her fists rather than with weapons. At least with her hands, she could bash in someone's head. York came in first, trying to deliver a punch, only for her to catch it and knock him back with a right hook to the chest. Maine then came in with a right hook only for her to duck underneath it and deliver an uppercut to his chin. He stumbled back a bit, but remained standing on his feet. Tex went in for a straight hook, and he defended, using his forearm and retaliating with an elbow strike. Tex blocked it easy, and kneed him in the stomach.

The white armored soldier crumpled before Tex grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him into an approaching York. The two crashed and hit the floor. Wyoming, having recovered, then charged at Texas once again, this time taking it more cautiously. He made the mistake of rushing in without a plan. But this time things will be different. He tried to go for a drop kick, jumping into the air with legs out and stuck together. Tex, however, evaded easily and grabbed him by the leg, proceeding to then throw him away, and smack him against the wall. He gasped as he impacted the flat surface and slumped down.

Tex gave a small, dark chuckle. "Payback's a bitch, stache face," she mocked before she turned to see Maine and York back on their feet, this time approaching more cautiously. "Ready for round 2, boys?"

"More or less." York shrugged, though internally, he was grimaced. _'She's as strong as Carolina, if not better,'_ he thought. ' _Man...where did the Director find her?'_ That was the million dollar question. From the way Tex fought, she's like a trained veteran. Normally, he wouldn't be so suspicious...but her fighting strength was definitely noteworthy. He looked back at Maine, who gave a nod. "Round 2 it is."

They charged once again.

Neither of them, however, expected what was to come next.

* * *

"...oof," Yang winced. "That's...gotta hurt."

"Aww!" Nora pouted. "And Jaune was doing so well earlier! Leader, what are you doing?! You're getting beaten by a girl! An angry girl! Come on!"

"I don't think it's like that, Nora." Ren shook his head. "If you looked closely, while He and York defeated Tex in the last round, it took them quite a while to do so. Which means that despite not used to that staff as her main weapon, Tex was still a formidable foe. But now, based on her movements in this round, it can be deduced that her proficiency is in unarmed combat."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "I would have to agree," she said before she winced, seeing York punched and thrown across the room. "Although...this is very painful to watch. Agent Texas is stronger than Jaune in terms of hand-to-hand combat."

"Oh please," Yang rolled her eyes. "I could take her, easy!"

As if to respond to her statement, Tex broke through Maine's guard, grabbed his head and smashed it onto her knee. While he was disoriented, she clasped her hands together and slammed them down on his back. She then grabbed him by the neck to pick him up before punching him right into the just now recovering Wyoming.

Weiss sweat-dropped. "...no offense, Yang, but Texas would beat you in a few seconds. There's a difference between a Huntress-in-training, and a trained soldier. Especially one that is currently beating Agent Maine, who mind you also kicked OUR butts?"

The blonde brawler tried to refute that statement, then noticed that in the memory Tex was on top of Maine, slamming his head into the training room floor over and over again.

"...okay, point taken."

Ruby winced with each time Maine was punched, kicked, or thrown. Same with York or Wyoming. She also noticed that Texas seemed to be particularly more brutal on the white-armored sniper than anyone else, despite often targeting Maine. "Owwie...that's gonna hurt in the morning."

After kicking Wyoming in the nuts again, Maine tried to rush in and attack her from behind. But at the very last moment, Texas spun around and smashed her fist into the back of his head, sending him crashing ti the ground once more.

"...okay, this is just sad," Blake deadpanned. "Any chance we can skip this part? I think we know the outcome."

* * *

[ROUND OVER. POINT TO TEXAS.]

"...okay, ow," Maine winced, tending to his ribs. "Jesus...I thought South was violent during Shark Week."

"That felt like getting on Carolina's bad side..." York groaned. "...times three."

"Guuuh..." Wyoming whimpered while still clutching his crotch. Before the match ended, Tex got a few more shots in.

The three men had been left aching and bruised after the match had come to an end. While the round was over, the match wasn't. Frankly, Maine wanted this to be done already. Why did he even agree to this? He should have just said no! Instead here he was, getting the ever-loving shit kicked out of him! He was now REALLY tempted to just bring out his Freelancer persona in order to get this match done and over with. He would especially need it for the next round of the training match.

The Lockdown Paint Scenario.

"Ugh...I hate this part," York muttered. "Alright, Maine, let's try not to get hit by this stuff."

Wyoming huffed, hobbling over to the two. "Good luck with that, mate," he scoffed. "Chances are, we're going to be pelted!"

"Thanks for the pessimism Wyoming..." Maine shook his head as he moved to grab his own pistol and paint pellet filled cartridge.

The room began to shift while they went to grab their equipment. The three picked up their respective pistols and loaded them with the cartridges filled with the lockdown paint pellets. Behind them, they heard the room configure, raising pillars to provide cover during this particular match.

[5...4...3...2...1...ROUND BEGIN.]

 **[Play: On Your Knees - Jeff Williams feat. Sandy Casey & Lamar Hall]**

With the buzzer going off, the three moved in, hiding behind the closest pillars they could reach. Maine stuck closest pillar beside York, while Wyoming hit the farthest. The 'leader' of the group let out a sigh, hoping things would go well here. "Alright, here goes nothing," he muttered before looking at Wyoming. "Wyoming, I'll flank to the left. You..." he trailed off, as the sniper went straight out to gun her down, or at least find a good position against her, found himself being pelted. Slowly, York sighed again. "...could get taken out. Alright, fine. Maine, we...uh, Maine?" When the brown armored soldier turned to instruct his friend, he realized he was already gone. He heard two gunshots and Maine's frozen body fall beside him. York groaned. "Really? Now you too, Maine?" he said, sorely disappointed. "Am I the only one who knows how to talk?"

"I think that's your problem, York." He turned, and was promptly shot in the face, thus ending the first of several rounds.

Things didn't get much better from there. Even with a change of tactics from all three of them, they all got pelted with the paint.

However, it was also where Maine took off the kid gloves. He had taken to his Freelancer persona, and started to tackle the situation more aggressively. While he would sometimes go off on his own, he coordinated with York, and managed to win a few a rounds...that said, though, it was still embarrassing to see happen, as well as frustrating. Regardless, things had become tense, with one side trying to get an edge over the other.

The third round, Tex was pelted, with a leg an arm stuck with paint, but Wyoming was, unsurprisingly, shot in the nuts. York was shot in the hand, and Maine in the shoulder.

Fourth round, Maine was bombarded in retaliation. Wyoming was stuck to a wall, and York's head stuck to the floor.

Fifth round, Texas was covered in paint.

Sixth Round, Wyoming and York were stuck together, Maine cradling his now bruised family jewels, covered in paint.

Seventh round, Tex lost.

Eighth round, the three lost.

Ninth Round, they lost again.

When the tenth round hit, things had...changed. Maine was grabbing his gear, going for a refill after having scraped off the damned rock-solid paint on his armor before he noticed Wyoming walking past him, slipping a new clip into his gun. However, something was different. The coloring of the clip wasn't gray, but silver, and the casings didn't have the purple tip. Rather, they had dull gray tips. "What the..." York got out, also noticing the clips. "Wyoming, what are you doing?"

"Ending this stupid farce," he spat out, his voice in contempt. Through out the entire match, Texas had been toying with him, beating him down. He didn't like that in the least. It angered him. Who did she think she was? Better than him? She was a rookie! She had no right to look down on him like that! "She's struck my last nerve."

[FINAL ROUND, BEGIN.]

The match began, and Texas immediately went in to go after Wyoming. She was confused when she found Maine and York staring at their teammate oddly, but didn't dwell on it. However, when Wyoming fired on her when he saw her, she understood why when the bullet struck the pillar...and debris went flying near her. "Shit!" she cursed and took cover, more rounds shooting at her cover and blowing off bits and pieces of the pillar.

Maine, even in his Freelancer persona, recognized what Wyoming was doing, and was shocked while York was terrified. And for good reason.

The sniper was using live ammunition.

* * *

"The fuck?!" Yang cursed in disbelief and disgust, ignoring the fact that Ruby was in the room and was glaring at her in disapproval, even though she currently shared the same sentiments. "That's not paint! That's actual ammo! I thought this was a spar, not an actual fight!"

"It was..." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at what Wyoming was doing. "But it looks like Wyoming decided to end this once and for all."

"But that's crazy! Texas could get hurt! Or worse!" Weiss voiced her concern.

"From the look of things, Wyoming doesn't care about that." Blake shook her head.

Ren frowned, folding his arms. "From my perspective, he's someone who values his ego and pride," he said, giving his thoughts. "Wyoming is probably an experienced Freelancer, like Carolina and the Dakota twins. The fact that Texas, a newcomer, is showing him up, doesn't sit well with him."

"Doesn't excuse the fact that he's trying to kill the mean lady!" Nora growled. "I say we break his legs!"

"Again, Nora, this is a memory. We can't do anything."

Ruby scowled, an unusual action for her. However, the sight angered her. What the heck was he doing?! They were supposed to be teammates now, and teammates should understand one another, not try and gun each other down!

She thought all of this was crazy. First there was the Leaderboard that made each of the Freelancers compete with each other fo the top spot, and now there are guys who take things too seriously and are actually trying to shoot each other! With these thoughts...she could only say one thing. "Kick his butt, Texas!"

* * *

"Fuck!" York cursed. "Maine, take care of Wyoming! I need to help the new girl!"

The only response he received was a grunt as the white-armored brute made his move, heading towards Wyoming while York ran over to warn Texas. Maine grabbed Wyoming's outstretched arm to try and wrest the gun from his hands. But Wyoming broke free from him. "Stay out of this, chap!" He then charged in between a set of columns to find his target. Growling in annoyance, Maine followed him with his own gun raised. Since plan A failed, he's going to have to shoot Wyoming to lock down his armor and stop him from doing anything else stupid.

He let out one round, but it missed, splattering across the pillar in front of the sniper, hardening. The sniper turned, and scowled beneath his helmet, and fired at him this time. Maine immediately ducked behind one of the pillars. A piece of the stone pillar he hid behind was blown off from the fired bullet. He immediately moved and dove behind another pillar for cover. He hissed angrily. Wyoming actually tried to shoot him! "...asshole," he growled, noting to break his legs. And if need be, have a talk with the Director about letting the man have live rounds.

* * *

 **(Outside of Memory)**

 **Washington reeled back in horror. "I-Is he using live rounds on the training field?!"**

 **"Looks like it," South remarked, not caring in the least. If at all anything, the sight of Wyoming being pissed was awesome to see. "Should have known he would snap sooner or alter."**

 **"Are you joking?! Someone's going to get hurt! Or worse!" the gray-armored Freelancer argued. "Someone should go call the Security! Hell, get the Director down here!"**

 **"The Director?" C.T. questioned in a scoffing manner. "Who do you think gave him the ammo?"**

 **"Hey!" Carolina snapped at the brown armored Freelancer. "Watch your mouth, C.T."**

* * *

"Look out!" York shouted at Texas. The woman turned, and immediately began to run, avoiding Wyoming as he continued to shoot at her. She veered left and dove behind another stone pillar. She took the moment to pause and catch her breath.

The training field was a mess. Several pillars were broken, not meant to withstand the pressure of being pelted by bullets. Some had already been reduced to rubble, others lying on the ground in a broken heap. Taking a moment to relax, Texas looked out past her hiding spot, and found Maine trying to fight Wyoming.

The blonde went in for a lariat, intending to knock the man right in the neck and send him flying. Wyoming ducked, and kicked Maine away and aimed his gun at him. Seeing as what the British soldier was about to do, Tex took immediate action. She whipped her arm out and shot a paint round right at Wyoming's outstretched hand, encasing it in a glob of pink paint. "Che!" Wyoming scoffed, slipping his loaded gun into the other hand. He turned to shoot at Texas in retribution, but promptly found himself being picked up by Maine, and being charged through one of the pillars.

The brute of the Freelancers smashed Wyoming into the stone and continued his charge. When he stopped, he slammed his foot down, and threw the sniper away, letting him hit one of the pillars. The British soldier's body crashed through the stone before bouncing off and landing harshly on the ground. He groaned, shaking his head before looking up, and finding Maine cracking his knuckles, shoulders and neck, glaring down at him. "...my turn."

Meanwhile, from Tex's standpoint, she was utterly confused. What the hell was Wyoming doing, firing live rounds at her? Sure, the Director told her to account for that scenario, but still, that was dangerous! Why was Maine also fighting his own teammate? They were on the same team, so why- "Hey!" She whirled around, and aimed her gun at York, who immediately raised his hands in defense, revealing he carried no sidearm with him. "W-whoa, hey lady! I'm trying to protect you!"

"I don't need protection!" she snapped angrily. "Never abandon your team!"

He stared at her, incredulous. "E-excuse me?!" he gawked. "In case you haven't noticed, Wyoming's trying to kill you! And Maine is trying to save your ass!"

He whipped his arm over to the combating duo and saw Maine grabbing Wyoming by the leg and hurling him into another pillar. The sniper went right through it, creating discomfort in his side, but ignored it as he landed back on his feet. He looked up and found Maine charging at him. He rolled out of the way, letting the brute smash through the pillar behind him. He quickly moved out of the way and out of sight. The last thing he needed was that meathead getting in his way any further. Still, what a bother. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to get at least one shot at that bitch. _'Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say,'_ he thought as his hand went to his belt. He smirked a bit as he pocketed the item away, looking for the right opportunity. _'Now, where were we, dear Tex?'_

"Maine!" York shouted. "He's to your six!"

The former rookie of the team snapped his head to his side and whipped out his gun, firing a few rounds at Wyoming's direction. The paint bullets got him in the leg and arm. Wyoming let out a small cry, feeling the stuff harden on his armor, and began to weigh him down. As if that wasn't enough, he found Texas charging at him. He raised his gun, and fired off a few more rounds. Most flew past her, some scraping against her armor, but one struck her in the shoulder. She let out a growl, and rammed her gun into his face, shooting as many bullets as she possibly could.

The sniper jerked his head back from the force of each bullet impacting him in the face. He felt his armor hardening. Pretty soon, he'd be unable to move. But before that happened, he was determined to take her down! Using his free hand, he made a move for the item in his pouch. He grabbed it just when Texas grabbed him by the face and rammed him straight into a pillar, smashing it in the process. The sniper's helmet was intact, even though the paint was smashed apart. He hit the floor, bouncing slightly before sliding to a stop. He didn't get back up. "Fucking finally," York muttered in exasperation, letting out a heaving sigh. "There's one problem dealt with."

"Speak for yourself, York," Tex replied hostilly, turning to him. "The match is still..." She trailed off, and suddenly tensed. Maine frowned, and followed her line of sight. Then his eyes widened, reverting back to his usual self, and stared in horror.

There was a grenade right next to York's feet...without the pin.

"What?" York asked, oblivious to the stares' meaning. "What's up with you guys? Is there something by my...feet..." He looked down, and found the grenade. "...oh son of a-"

That was as far as he got before Tex, acting quickly, took aim at opened fire, splattering the paint on his body. The first one struck him in the leg, which accidentally forced him to his knees. The second splattered across his helmet, covering almost half of the visor. The third struck him across the chest, and the fourth along his arm. The fifth covered another leg, and the sixth splattered along his arm.

She was about to fire off another shot to cover the rest of the visor, but the bomb exploded.

"Gah!" York screamed in pain as his body took the brunt of the fiery blast. He was blown from where he stood and crashed to the ground in the midst of the fallen rubble. Despite his armor being hardened, he felt a blinding pain in places that the paint didn't cover, like the part of his visor. His visor was cracked, shattered in. Glass pierced into his skin, and blood poured out from the wounds. He tried to open his eyes. He found only the right side damaged, the visor cracked, but...why couldn't he see the other side? Why was it black?

"YORK!" Maine screamed, rushing to his friend's side. Alarms blared, F.I.L.S.S saying something about the match being cancelled, but he didn't care. He slid down next to him, finding most of the armor intact, but a few parts were compromised. Exposed bits of armor were broken, blood leaking out. However, the worst was at the exposed side of his visor. One side was cracked, and some of the armor was damaged, but the other side was...destroyed. It was cracked, metal was bent, and...York's eye was gone. Glass pierced through the eyelids and into the ball, smaller shards embedded in the face. "Fuck! York, can you hear me?! S-say something!"

* * *

 **(Outside of Memory)**

 **"THAT MANIAC!" Washington roared, pounding on the glass before moving to leave the spectator box with the others. "IF YORK'S HURT, WYOMING IS FUCKING DEAD!"**

 **As the others rushed out to help, Carolina called for medical support. As she did, her eyes focused on York's hurt form, and clenched her teeth. She agreed with Washington. If anything bad had happened to York because of that...Wyoming was in for a world of hurt. Live rounds was one thing, but a fucking GRENADE? Her mind went back to what C.T had said earlier. That it was the Director who provided it.**

 ** _'What are you thinking, old man?'_ she thought before moving to follow the others.**

* * *

[MEDICAL TEAM, ON ROUTE. PLEASE, REMAIN CALM. I REPEAT, MEDICAL TEAM, ON ROUTE...]

"York!" Washington and the others barged into the training room, the gray armored Freelancer rushing to his friends side. "York, can you hear me?! Say something!"

"How is he?!" Carolina asked, rushing next to them. "Is he okay?!"

"Some of his armor's fine," Maine replied, checking him for any other injuries. "But some parts were compromised! Half of his helmet's been blown out! His eye's damaged too!" He let out a growl as he turned to the still unconscious Wyoming. "That motherfucker...when he wakes up, I'm gonna kill him!"

"Get in line, Maine." Wash scowled. "I called dibs."

"Dammit, what the hell are you waiting for!" Carolina screamed at the medics, who began to enter the training room. "Get over here! Now!"

Soon, the medics began to work. One group picked up Wyoming, much to the chagrin of Maine. He wanted to beat the shit out of that bastard, while another group began to escort Texas, despite her insistence that she was fine. As she was being pulled away, Carolina watch her leave, noting the sparks on her arm and her combat ability from earlier. From what she observed, the new girl wasn't a amateur. She must have been highly skilled. It made her wonder how and where the Director found her. Meanwhile, another group began to look York over for any serious injuries, and then pulled him away.

"Can't believe she did that," South said as they watched the medics pull York away. "Shot his armor, sacrificing him..."

Washington shook his head. "When the paint hits the armor, it hardens," he said. "By that logic, it was what saved his life."

"Quick thinking," North nodded in approval. "She's good." He then looked at Maine. "How about you, kid? You okay?"

The blonde snarled. "No. I'm fucking pissed," he spat. "Wyoming better hope they have good security, because the moment he wakes up, I'm gonna-!"

"EVERYONE, STAND DOWN! NOW!" The Director of Project Freelancer barked as he marched into the room. The Freelancers who weren't being escorted to the infirmary stood at attention as he approached. They stood in a line while he marched towards them, a cold look on his face as he stared back at them, his piercing gaze looking at them straight past their visors, as if looking at their very souls. "I am ashamed of you all," he said coldly. "I expect you to act as a team!"

"They used live ammunition on the training floor, sir," Washington said in protest. "That's against regulations!"

The Director stopped, and whipped around, facing the soldier, who promptly began to retreat in fear. "Do you honestly think that our enemies will care about regulations out on the battlefield, Agent Washington?"

The group was startled, Maine especially. They stared at one another, realizing what the man was implicating, and then turned back to the founder of the group they were apart of. "S-so...you're not punishing Wyoming?"

"Ingenuity and adaptibility are admirable traits," the man responded without a beat. "You should all learning something from this."

Maine's hands were balled into tight fists. Wyoming tried to kill Texas. He nearly killed York! He wanted to bark back at him, but he held his tongue. The soldier inside him stopping him from doing so. Didn't mean he wasn't angry though.

Without any further response, the Director turned on his heel and left. "Dismissed."

The soldiers relaxed. "Are you serious?" Washington said, clearly angry. "Tell me he's not serious!"

"We could learn something from this, alright," C.T remarked. "That some of us don't like to be shown up."

"I can't believe this!"

The woman gave Washington a look as she patted him in the shoulder. "Better keep an eye on your spot on the board, Wash," she told him, reminding him of their past conversation, before she turned to leave. Washington and the others soon followed. Maine followed behind them, but was still clearly angry. He was worried about Tex, since it seemed like she was injured earlier if the way she held her shoulder was any indication, but he was furious. The Director was right on a few accounts; they were supposed to act as a team, and they needed to be ingenious and adaptable to new situations.

However, if his definitions of that was to have an egotistical British snob live ammo and try to use it against the new girl, then he was better off working with those he trusted.

* * *

"Unfreakingbelievable!" Ruby shouted. "He's letting Wyoming go?! After York got hurt?! That's-that's-!"

"That absolute fucking bullshit!" Yang snarled angrily. How the hell was the Director okay with this?! One of his soldiers nearly killed another of his soldiers and he didn't even bat an eye!

Weiss, for once, wasn't appalled by Yang's choice of words. In fact, they were spot on. The Director's demeanor had struck a nerve with her. A very disturbing, familiar one. A cold look crossed her face, unpleasant memories crossing her mind. "How is a heartless monster like that in charge of such a military operation?" she questioned. "He clearly doesn't care if his soldiers do whatever it takes to win, even if their competitive nature leads to them to try and kill someone just because they're better than they are!"

"I say we break his legs!" Nora suggested, also fuming. "York was awesome! He's friends with Jaune! First we break his legs, then we break 'em with a car!"

Ren sighed. He's told her so many times that this was a memory, but he was in agreement with the others. The Director, clearly, didn't care what happened to York if he was praising Wyoming for his tactics - and attempted murder- of Agent Texas. Something like that was just deplorable and disgusting. A man like that is a disgrace of a leader and a human being.

Pyrrha's hands balled into fists, and her eyes hardened, staring at the retreating back of the Director of Project Freelancer in utter loathing. This...this was the man who Jaune asked to make him stronger? THIS was the man who had molded him into Agent Maine?!

For once in her life, Pyrrha Nikos had wished horrible things unto a human being. Things that would otherwise seem like torture to others.

* * *

"Dammit," Texas growled as she tended to the sparks in her shoulder. Blood was trailing a bit down her arm, much to her displeasure. "That Wyoming...should have hit him more in the nuts." She slowly adjusted the settings in her armor, letting the locks release around her neck. A slight hiss echoed in the room, and her helmet loosened its grip on her. She slowly pulled it off, revealing dark blonde, almost brown hair that fell down to her shoulders, a rough yet graceful face, and light brown eyes.

She usually didn't like taking off her helmet. She wasn't sure why, but...looking at her face always felt wrong. Like it wasn't HER face. However, she felt rather stuffy right now, so she didn't have much choice. She also disengaged the locks on her armor, allowing her to shed it off and let her tend to her wounds more easily. She was a bit furious about what happened during the match. Things were going so well, she had managed to get Maine to take this more seriously, and were it not for the fact that it was a team match, she was sure they would have had a much more enjoyable fight. It had been so long since she's had a good fight. However, Wyoming ruined any chance of that when he pulled that stunt. Don't get her wrong, the whole live ammo thing didn't surprise her...but the grenade? That was obviously meant for her, and instead it hit York.

"Well, don't you look pissed off," a voice called out from a nearby console. Texas looked to her side, and found a holographic, miniature soldier in white armor standing on top of her night stand, arms folded. "Alright, spill. What happened this time? Wait, don't tell me...someone actually kicked your ass."

She rolled her eyes. "No, Alpha," she replied in amusement. "Just some idiot who got stupid ideas."

"Hey hey, we talked about this. I thought I told you! When we're alone, it's just Church," the holographic soldier snarked, waving his hands around in a gesture. "Lord knows the Director don't used it. Can't even recall the last time someone actually used his damn name." The AI had a point. It was like the Director was trying to forget his own name by having everyone else refrain from using it. "And you didn't answer my question," Alpha said. "So what happened? And don't lie to me, Tex. I can always check F.I.L.S.S' logs."

"...Fine...I had a match earlier. Me against three other Freelancers, York, Maine, and Wyoming. It went well for the first few rounds...gave me a run for my money on occasion...then that asshole Wyoming brought a grenade in the lock down paint match."

Alpha's arms dropped to his sides, and his form became enveloped in a red light. "What?" he nearly shouted. "And the Director didn't do anything?!"

"Nope," Texas shook her head. "All he said was that Wyoming's actions were admirable, in that he he was using ingenious tactics and adapted to the battlefield. Understand where he was coming from...but York got hurt. Don't know if he's okay or not. Medics took me out before I could check on him."

"My God...That's just fucking bullshit!" Alpha spat.

"What a fucking prick! He's just gonna let the guy walk away?!"

"Easy, Church," Texas told him. "No use getting upset. Not a whole lot we can do. Besides, wasn't all bad," she grinned. "I got to fight Maine. Had to admit...he's stronger than he looks. Took me a while to actually get him serious. The Director wasn't kidding. Give him another year, and he just might beat me."

"Oh please," Alpha scoffed. "The day someone beats you is the day I get a rampancy."

"Heh...Maybe..." Texas let out a small smirk. "But the way things are going in this war...who knows?"

Alpha sighed. "Whatever," he muttered. "I won't say anything to the asshole. But if he tries shit like this again, I'm tearing him a new one."

With that, he vanished back into the console, and went away back into his own little space. Texas shook her head in amusement before she laid down. A sigh escaped her. She wished she had another shot at Maine, though. One on one, not team against one. It would be a better test of his abilities. Especially when he got serious. She heard from the Director that out of all the soldiers, he was one of the best. He'd have to be hold his spot for five years straight. That, and according to him, Maine outmatched Carolina in terms of raw strength. She saw some of that when Maine was fighting Wyoming...but she wished she could have fought against it herself. Just the thought of it impressed her.

Oh well...there was always next time.

* * *

 _"What I've learned is that a **great love** is a lot like a **good memory**. When it's **there** , and you **know** it's **there** , but it's just **out of** your **reach** , it can be all that you think about. And you can **focus** on it and try to **force** it, but the more you do, the more you seem to **push** it **away**. But if you're **patient** , and you hold still, well maybe, just maybe, **it'll come to you**." -Epsilon_

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, normally I would give you the rundown on some explanations, how this chapter is longer than usual, and ask how about how the chapter was, the usual thing I've been doing, but I gotta state something. Uh...dammit, where is that paper? Oh, here it is! *clears throat*

"Dear Readers,  
It has come to my attention that most of you are all clearly displeased by the results of the poll I set up, in order to establish the relationship between Agent Maine/Jaune Arc and the one chosen. As the results stated, the chosen girl was Pyrrha Nikos.  
I fail to understand the problem. For both registered users of , and to guests who visit the site, do remember this: It was the majority who voted for the outcome, and per the wishes of those who have voted, the one with the highest vote count would be selected as Jaune Arc's lover. Therefore, it was by the decision of the readers, of registered users of , that Pyrrha Nikos would be his lover.  
I find your...displeasure to be highly disconcerning. Why would you be angry over a decision, that YOU made?  
Sincerely, one of the two authors of Metastability, Demons Anarchy of Pride."


	7. Chapter 7

_"_ _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after._

 _"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._

 _"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 7: Mute Radio

The med bay was the same as when he first woke up here five years ago. Still dull white, with instruments sitting atop tables and drapes hiding away beds that would one day house bodies injured and/or diseased. In one such bed, York laid there, stripped of armor and wearing the black bodysuit underneath what housed the armor. The bodysuit covered up to the neck, just below the Adam's Apple, and came down to the knees and biceps. That said, it was very tight, easily revealing a certain small bulge that was the male anatomy, and the muscled body of what laid underneath. However, the primary reason behind York's stay here wasn't simply because of the damage to his body...it was also due to the scar that covered his left eye.

At his bedside, Maine sat in a chair, hands clasped with blonde locks and red eyes out in the open for all to see, staring at his friend in concern. It had been about a few days since he was administered, and he showed no signs of waking yet. To his own personal disgust, Wyoming had been sent to another ward, most likely on the Director's orders. He knew why, how the man valued ability...but he still hated the bastard. He'd do for a clock to the face for now. He just wished he could have done more. If only he had reacted sooner, maybe...

"...Maine," The blonde Freelancer turned, and found Carolina hanging around the entrance, her helmet covering her face. "Come on...let's go. The mission briefing is about to start."

Maine sighed, pushing himself out of the chair. "I'll...be there in a sec."

"Just don't lag behind. The Director expects us all to be there when it begins." She answered as she pushed off from the doorframe.

"Yeah...got it."

The red-haired Freelancer didn't leave. Neither did Maine. In fact, he was doing everything he possibly could to slow himself, just so he could stay by York's side. She understood the feeling. Everyday, since the incident, neither had gone a single day without being by his side, just waiting, miraculously, for him to wake up. She knew how he would to. Open his eyes, grin, and crack a joke about how handsome he looked with an eyepatch. It would be so typical of him. Eventually, she gave a sigh and walked over to him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Hey...cheer up," she told him. "If York sees you like this, he'll joke about it until the end of time."

"Maybe...but I don't care. I'm just worried for him, you know? He's only going to be able to see out of one eye from now on."

"I know...but you also know that he wouldn't want you to stick around feeling sorry for him," Carolina told him. "Hell, I can picture him waking up, and then asking for a parrot and cap, just to complete the pirate look he's got going on."

Maine cracked a small smile, and nodded. "Yeah...sounds like him," he said before exhaling. "Okay...lets go."

Then the two left the med bay, the door sliding closed behind them. However, a few seconds after they left, slowly, York's eyes showed movement. Slowly, his eyelids lifted, revealing one eye, clear of iris and pupil, and a light brown one.

* * *

"So its been a week or so?" Yang questioned with a frown. "And that Wyoming bastard STILL hasn't gotten punished?! Total. Bull."

"I agree." Weiss nodded. "I can't believe that the Director is actually supporting actions like Wyomings back then."

"He said adaptability and ingenuity were admirable traits," Pyrrha recalled with a look of distaste. "Does this mean...he doesn't care what methods his soldiers use, so long as they perform well?"

"Looks like it..." Blake shook her head with a morbid expression. "To him...the ends justify the means."

Ruby glowered, shaking with anger. "T-that stupid old man! Because of what Wyoming did, Jaune's friend got hurt!"

"I know, Rubes..." Yang rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me...if I ever see that bastard, I'm gonna floor him!"

Ren sighed, palming his face. "Once again...for the upteenth time...need I remind you that this is a memory? We can't do anything."

"Shut up, Ren! Don't ruin my fantasy!" Yang snapped in defiance.

"I say we break his legs, arms, spine, neck, hands, feet. and head!" Nora shouted.

Everyone stared at the two violent women before they sighed, shaking their heads. Then again, it was understandable. The more they watched these memories play out, the more they also felt infuriated and disgusted with this director. And given how Maine is part of the unit led by this man...they could only worry for him. Especially if what he went through turned him into the monster they met in Foerver Fall. They then fell silent, as Maine and Carolina had arrived at their destination.

* * *

"Director," Carolina called out as she walked up to the man in charge of the private organization, who stood at the end of the bridge in front of a console. "Everyone is present and accounted for."

The man gave a curt nod before looking at the console. He whispered something, but she couldn't hear it, though she noticed a small flashing light. He then turned to her. "Excellent, then," he said as he walked past her. "Let us begin the briefing." Carolina gave a look at the console, wondering what was going on, but then walked back over to her team. As she did, the Director began. "Agents...the mission you are about to undertake is, by far, the most important to date." Everyone gave a nod. If the boss himself was telling them this, then the mission they were about to take on was important. VERY important. "As our Number One, Agent Carolina will be leading in the field."

Carolina nodded as she stood at the head of the table projector. "Okay. Here's what we have." She typed in a series of keys and the holographic here that floated above the table surface sunk into the platform and grew. "As you may have heard, there is suspected Insurrection activity in the area." C.T gave a brief look at the map, as if worried about something, but then shrugged. Carolina then continued on with the briefing. "Our intel says that members of the UNSC loyal to the insurrection have acquired a high-level asset and are holding it in this secure location." With another push of the button, a schematic of what appeared to be an urban area, surrounded by tall buildings, formed on the console. "It's a 110-story building in the middle of an urban environment."

"What does security look like?" Wyoming asked.

"They have enough troops to fill a 110-story building." Carolina answered bluntly. While she was still angry with Wyoming, she would still remain professional for the mission.

"So...that's a lot of security..." The British man nodded.

"We're up to it." The top Freelancer responded. "Our job is to infiltrate the building, work our way up to the floor where the Sarcophagus is being held and secure it." As she spoke, a red line traced a path to the designated floor on the holographic model of the building.

North cocked his head. "The Sarcophagus?"

"That is what we are calling the primary objective," the Director stated.

Carolina then continued on. "But since this is a high-level asset, we need to access a key code to open the Sarcophagus."

"I'm guessing they don't just keep that taped to the side?" Washington asked sarcastically.

"It's held by an official of the program who will be moving in a vehicle along the freeway between inspections," Carolina said, not commenting on Washington's joke. On the holographic cityscape, an image of the target was shown; a bald man with dark sunglasses and suit carrying a briefcase. Then a highway formed, along with cars passing through, simulating the events that would transpire for the mission. "That's when we'll hit the facility. We need to acquire both targets within minutes of each other. If we fail that, the remaining target will enter lock-down and we miss our window."

"We will not have another chance at this." The Director said with emphasis in his tone.

"So that means two teams..." Wash realized.

"Two teams." Carolina nodded. "Team A will consist me, Wash, and Maine. We will work infiltration on the package's stored facility. York is still in the infirmary, so Wash, you'll have to pull lockpicking duty."

"Uhmm...okay. Guess I'll reread my field manual on the transport." The gray-armored soldier answered, now nervous about his assigned role.

"Hey, don't be so quick to give away my job." A voice cut in.

Carolina and Maine whirled around, finding a familiar soldier standing in the room, dressed in light brown armor. "Y-York?" Carolina gaped. "I thought you were in the hospital?"

"According to their records, I am," York responded, grinning beneath his helmet.

"How's your eye?"

He gave a shrug, and walked over to the console. "It's okay. Docs are letting me out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, huh?" Washington said, crossing his arms. He clearly didn't look convinced. Maine and Carolina didn't blame him. After all, he was in bad shape, and not even a week's worth of rest could heal the damages done to him. "You sure you're up for this?"

He laughed. "Look, I couldn't let you guys have all the fun without me. Besides...you need someone to get you in."

Washington, underneath his helmet, frowned before he turned over to Carolina. "I'm happy to see him too, but...this mission...I don't know..."

"Hey," she snapped. "If York says he's good, then he's good." Wash gave a reluctant nod. He was still uonconvinced. He didn't want to see his friend hurt again, and neither did the red-haired Freelancer. She walked over to him, and whispered, "Hey...you are good, right?"

"Okay, look, I said I was okay." York answered earnestly. "Good might be overselling it a little..."

"It's settled then." The Director cut him off. The members of Team A turned to face their commander. "York will join Team A and get them in the facility."

"Thank you, sir." Agent York nodded appreciatively. And with that, Carolina resumed the mission briefing.

"Transport will be two lightly equipped Pelican drop ships."

"We're rigged for fast running only, people. No heavy armaments." 479er added.

"Team B will be North, Wyoming, and C.T," Carolina informed, leaving the three to nod in understanding over the arrangement. "You will act as recon for Team A, and when we enter the building, you will disengage to attack the target on the freeway. North will lead Team B."

The blonde-haired man nodded. "Got it."

"What about Agent South?" C.T asked, confused. So far, she's rarely seen the Dakota twins go out on separate missions, or one of them going solo.

"Agent South will not be accompanying you on this mission." The Director answered.

"Hm...guess the world's a tough place when you move down a rank."

"And where's our new recruit? Will she be joining us?"

The Director quickly grew impatient. "That's enough questions, Connecticut."

She shrugged, but then shot Wash and Carolina a look. "Notice he didn't say no?"

"Team B should be simple." Carolina ignored her and continued. "Stop the vehicle and grab the case. Team A, you have more of a challenge. Mainly, the Sarcophagus is an unknown."

"How unknown are we talking?" Wash asked.

"Unknown in that we don't know it's size, or its weight or its dimensions. We just know that it will have these markings somewhere on the exterior." Carolina pressed another key and the holographic layout of the mission sunk into the table before being replaced by a red projection of the designated set of markings. They consisted of three circles with unique symbols within each one. They were laid out in the pattern of an inverted triangle and separated by three lines that joined in the center.

North immediately recognized them, having seen them before. "I saw those same markings on the oil platform," he noted. "Are they connected?"

"Correct," the Director responded. "That facility created the primary objective."

"Do we know what's inside it?" Washington asked.

"Yes, we know."

C.T shook her head. "How do we know what's in it, but not know how big it is?" she questioned. The Director shot her a glare. "Sorry, sir."

"We've got a job to do, people," Carolina said, stepping away from the console as it all began to shut down. "Let's do it right, and come home safe."

"That is all," the Director barked. "You are dismissed."

Then, all Freelancers snapped into a salute. "Yes, sir!" they cried before leaving the room, heading to the Pelican, and towards their next mission.

* * *

"Ooooh, a heist!" Nora giggled. "Does this mean Jaune's a master thief?! That would be SO AWESOME! Hey, Renny? Do you think he can steal the next test's answer key?"

Ren stared at his childhood friend before he sighed, palming his face. "...I give up."

There was just no use explaining to her hyperactive friend that what they are seeing is just a memory and already happened. The girls giggled, but could understand Nora's enthusiasm. Jaune as a thief? This has got to be interesting...

"What do you think they're gonna steal?" Ruby asked, shaking in anticipation. "Ooooh, maybe it's treasure!"

Weiss shook her head. "Given that this is a military ops, it might be a weapon, or crucial information."

"I'm just stuck on the fact that the Director knows what the target is, but doesn't share it with the others." Yang shook her head.

"Agreed. It didn't seem that he gave them all the details." Blake added.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement with the two. Something didn't seem right. If the Director knew what was inside...why lie? Or, perhaps...he couldn't let them know what was inside the Sarcophagus? But why? Just what was so important inside of it that the Director had to witheld information from his own soldiers?

'And...' She held her hand to her chest, feeling unease swell in her. 'What is this...feeling?'

* * *

"Team A, you look clear. Window is open. Start your clocks. On my mark...mark."

"Sync. Roger that, Team A is moving."

"Copy that, Carolina. Good luck, Team A."

"Thanks. We won't need it."

"Alright, Bravo. Let's move out! We have three minutes until the first alert; let's have our target in hand by two." North told his team members while they prepared to jump from the Pelican.

York, Carolina, and Maine moved to infiltrate the building on foot. It wasn't long before they entered the facility. Their target was on the fiftieth floor, and they had to be discreet, at least reaching the target before alarming the soldiers, if possible. When they encountered the Insurrectionists, they made sure to attack swiftly and quickly before alarms could be raised. They were killed without incident, and without any gunfire. Eventually, they reached the designated area, coming up to a steel wall with holographic signatures floating over it.

"Alright, we're in," Carolina said as they approached. She then turned to York, gesturing him to move up. "Alright, One-Eye. You're up."

"Hey now," he joked, walking past her. "It's CAPTAIN One-Eye. All I need is a parrot and hat, then give a Pelican a paintjob, then I'm all set~"

Maine groaned. "Only you could joke about missing an eye," he muttered, but smiled inwardly. He was glad his friend was back, and up on his feet. He was a bit worried, but after the last couple of dead soldiers, that worry was unneeded. "So, you think you can crack it?"

"Should take about sixty seconds," York replied. "Give me 15." He then bent down on a knee, and examined what they presumed was the lock, which was the holographic marker in the center, a cog with a writhing mass in the center. "Wow...is that holographic?" he asked in awe. "That's high-end."

"Can you get through it?" Carolina asked him.

"Of course I can. Didn't bring me along for my good looks, did ya?" He twisted the image and a green light lit up. "Whoever designed this is a genius..." Only to stop when the lock turned red and the alarms started to blare.

"You were saying?"

"Okay, I take it back. Whoever designed this is an asshole!" After a few more movements, the lock was broken. "There." The doors slid open. "Everybody in."

"Thanks, York," Carolina rolled her eyes beneath her helmet as they entered. "But do something about that alarm system. We don't need anymore surprises."

"Does saying 'sorry' count as something?" he asked, only to receive a flat stare. "...guess not."

"We'll secure a package," the aqua-colored Freelancer said while the others began to move into the room, in search of the mission objective. "Set some trackers, then find us a way out of this." He nodded, and then began to move. With a few inputs, the doors slid shut behind him, thus allowing Team A time to search. The doors looked sturdy enough, so the only way they could break through was if they seared through the locks. "Alright everyone, spread out. What we need is here somewhere. Probably something small, easy to miss. Take as many scans as possible. There may be other things here that we can use."

As if to express these words, she took a pair of twin guns, alien in make, and then holstered them to her hips. Meanwhile, Maine give a quick look around, lighting up his HUD screen to find any object with the marking that identified the object as their objective. During his search, he caught the look of something interesting. Laid out on the table was a weapon, a gun from the looks of it, as long as a sniper rifle, but as big as a Gatling Gun. In terms of length, from top to bottom, it was as large as his torso, with a circular form in the center, and a blade attached to the bottom. It was...beautiful. Without another thought on the manner, Maine picked it up to test its weight and discovered that it felt perfectly balanced in his hands. He held the weapon with one hand on the handle on its side while his other hand was on top of the barrel. "Hey Wash! What do you think?" Maine asked his friend.

The gray-armored soldier turned his head and upon seeing him with the Type 25 Grenade Launcher, he nodded. "Yeah, that's a good look."

* * *

"No it doesn't!" Ruby yelled, much to the shock of her teammates. They stared to look at her, not expecting her to shout something like that. "It's hideous! I mean, sure, it's got a cool look and all, but it's not a real weapon! No transformation mechanic, no beauty to it! Ugh! Whoever designed it needs to be kicked and taught how to make a good weapon!"

"...Uh, Ruby? I'm pretty sure that thing is a real weapon. I mean, it's got that huge blade on the end." Yang stated.

"No its not!" Ruby protested vehemently. While she had to admit, it certainly looked powerful...it didn't have the same beauty she had seen from the weapons of the students here at Beacon Academy, or any weapon she's seen for that matter. "It's...it's..." she struggled to find the right word for it, but couldn't. She gave herself a mental slap in the head for what she was about to say. She had to remember to wash her mouth out after they were done. She took a deep breath, and yelled, "IT'S A BASTARD!"

Every teenager in the room flinched when they heard Ruby Rose...of all people...swear. Yang, however, looked scandalized. " _RUBY_!" she cried in horror. " _WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT CURSING_?!"

* * *

Seconds later, Carolina received a transmission from York, regarding enemy movement. They were quickly approaching their position, no doubt with equipment to tear down the door. "Well, let's hope they're not as good as picking locks as you are, York," she commented before looking at her squad. "Alright, team. We're about to have some company."

Washington walked up to her. "Boss, I have good news and bad news."

"Hit me."

"We found the markings we're looking for. The bad news is..." He turned to his left and gestured to the item in question, revealing a metal container as tall as them. "...they're on that."

"That?"

Maine groaned. 'Great...as if we didn't already have enough problems,' he thought. 'Now we got to find a way to get this thing out of here? Inside a 110 story building with several assholes? Fun times, ladies and gents...fun times.'

"Team A," York called in on the comm systems. "I got us an exit up here. Straight up the stairwell, door to the roof, helipad."

"Copy," Carolina nodded. "I'll radio in air support." She closed the link, and then looked at the container. It was too large, and no doubt too heavy for two soldiers alone to carry. Maine was strong...but even he couldn't carry this thing on his back by himself. That, and if they were distracted for even a moment, there was a chance he'd be seriously injured. "Now...how are we going to get that thing up to the roof?" Wash and Maine, who had the Type 25 Grenade Launcher attached to his back, looked at one another and shrugged. Carolina then thought of something. "York, I saw a window washing unit when we came into the facility. Can you find where it attaches to the building?"

"Dunno...sounds like a tough one," he responded, though Carolina knew by the tone in his voice he already had a plan in mind. "Let me see what I can do."

Carolina gave a nod, then looked at Maine. Washington cocked his head. "What are you up to?" he asked, confused.

"Improvising," the Number One replied before walking over to the window, beckoning the white-armored brute. "Come here, Maine. I got a job for you."

Washington groaned. "Improvising?" he muttered. "I hate it when we do that..."

"How do you think I feel?" Maine asked over his shoulder as he followed the leader. "I'M the one she needs for this improv..."

A few minutes later Carolina and Maine stood by the edge of a broken window while Wash kept an eye on the vault doors, which were now being cut through with an acetylene blowtorch.

"Better hurry!" Wash called out.

Carolina had finished pushing the Sarcophagus on the window washing unit while Maine held onto the cable that balanced said unit. She walked right up to him. "Maine, this should work fine. You're the only one heavy enough to counterbalance."

The white-armored soldier turned his head to look at Carolina. Then he looked down, and promptly gulped. Down below was the street...several hundred feet below him. The sight alone was enough to make his stomach churn in ways that were unsettling to say the least. He then slowly backed away. "...too high."

"Oh, don't be a baby." She scoffed. Without another word, she kicked Maine right off the edge and shot the window washing unit with her pistol, allowing it to rise to the roof. Meanwhile, Maine was falling down the side of the building screaming his head off.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCKIIIIIIIIING HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL!"

He flailed in the air but still kept his grip tight on the cable. He just past two Insurrectionists who stood guard and was still approaching the ground fast. He prayed to whatever God out there that the cable ran out before he went SPLAT. He was falling fast. Soon, he was about to run out of cable. However, as he fell, he noticed an opening in the lower levels. He then recalled one of the floors was a parking garage, which they passed on their way up. 'Better time this right!' he thought, not wanting to be turned into white and red pancake on concrete. He braced himself, and began to swing himself back and forth. Eventually, the cable ran out. He was flung upward in mid-swing, caught in the middle of a jerk, and was thrown into the parking garage. He landed right on the edge, left in a crouch before he let out a deep sigh. "Oh fuck that was close..." he murmured before he heard the sounds of guns clicking.

He looked up, and found himself staring back at several Insurrectionists, each armed with a gun in hand. "Stop right there or we'll...shoot..." one of them trailed off when they took in Maine's appearance. Immediately, Maine sensed a battle coming, and let out a low growl, letting his Freelancer persona take over. He took the weapon from his back, and held it in both hands, slowly stepping forward, stalking towards his newfound prey. "W-we're gonna need bigger handcuffs!"

"I-Is that a knife?" another questioned as they began to back away in a panic. "A-a rifle? A knifle?"

He grabbed the lever of his new weapon and cocked it. As the rebels raised their rifles, Maine pulled the trigger and a grenade shot out of the barrel. Two, three shots were set loose, and struck the insurgets. What followed was a powerful explosion that set off several car alarms. The soldiers were struck dead on, thrown off their feet and sent flying. Some hit the columns supporting the building and others hit the cars around them. The rest hit the ground, sliding away before coming to a stop. None of them got up.

Beneath his helmet, Maine grinned wickedly. "...I call it a Brute Shot."

* * *

"Ugh, even worse," Ruby grumbled. "Crappy name for a crappy weapon..."

Nora nodded heartedly in agreement. "Yeah...that's not really suiting him," she said, earning a few confused looks. "He'd look better if it was a sword and shield. You know, like with what he used to have!"

"I agree..." Pyrrha nodded as well. "It feels...odd for him to use anything else."

"But you have to admit that it is pretty efficient." Nora then smirked evilly. "I bet you could break TONS of legs with that!" She then looked to Ruby. "Hey, Ruby! You're a weapons expert, right?"

"If it's about making that monstrosity, forget it," she huffed. "I refuse to make such an ugly thing!"

"Buuuuuuuut what if you made it an actual weapon?! You know, like what you want?! Just better! And breaks a lot of legs!"

Ren sighed. "...Ruby, please don't indulge her," he asked (read: "pleaded"). "Last thing we need is what Jaune has in Nora's hands...and potentially as dangerous as what we have."

But it was too late. The red hooded youth already her brow furrowed in deep thought as ideas and designs were being produced in her head like a factory assembly line.

"Well...it DOES pack a lot of heat, and the blade could be used to cut things down to size...but that requires getting too close. You've got have some strike distance...maybe make an extension? But where...? The muzzle, maybe? Ooh, maybe like a muzzle and handle! I could probably rotate the blade so its at the top! It'd be like a battle axe, plus a grenade launcher! All in one! Hmhmhm~ That's what a weapon should be! OH! But wait, what sort of ammo would it use? Fire Dust? Ice? Gravity? Maybe I should also add in some energy propellant fuel sources and increase the swing power when in axe form...but what sort of mechanism should I use to increase the length of the handle and barrel? An extension system? I could probably use a regular rotation mod for the blade part, but...huh...this could use some thinking out..."

The members of WBY and PR sighed. Ren, in particular. "Now look what you've done, Nora..." he groaned. "Are you happy now?"

"Super duper happy!" The hyperactive ginger cheered while making a victory sign with her fingers.

Once again, everyone groaned.

* * *

"Okay," Maine breathed, briefly leaving his Freelancer Persona as he placed his newly named Bruteshot on his back as he looked around the parking garage. "Chances are, we're gonna need an escape vehicle...but what would be a good pick?"

To his left were Mongooses, four-wheeled vehicles designed for a single person, so those were out. And to his right were a series of large land vehicles known as Warthogs. They were built like a jeep but had bullet-proof metal plating, two rider seats, and a machine gun turret in the back to accommodate for a single person. But for the life of him, he still couldn't figure out why a vehicle like that had six pedals if there were only four directions to drive in. Regardless, he needed a good car to use. He was about to grab one of them before he suddenly found himself backpedalling, a bullet nearly hitting him in the face. Growling, and falling back into his more hardened self, he turned, and found an Insurrectionist solder standing there, gun in one hand with a smoking barrel and knife in the other. However, the armor was slightly stylized, as the shoulder pads were more thickened, and on the breast plate was a heart-shaped mark with a kiss insignia branded on it.

"Not so fast, fucker," the Insurrectionist said coldly, their tone distinctly feminine. "Where do you think you're going?"

Maine let out a low growl, and took out his Brute Shot again.

 **[Play: Sharkface/Rooftop - Trocadero]**

He pulled the triggered and fired another grenade. The female rebel ducked to the side to avoid it before snapping up back on her feet with her gun pointed at the Freelancer. She fired a couple of shots, one of them grazing his armor. It was a mild distraction, one she used to her advantage as she charged, blade at the ready. Fortunately for Maine though, he also had a close-range weapon to counter hers. It was a part of his newly acquired Bruteshot. As she closed in for a swift cut to the throat, he raised his weapon, and clashed with her. The sharp and broad edge of his Brute Shot easily overtook her puny knife, and parried her attack. Using the opening he made, he swung his weapon down, aiming to cut her down, but she side-stepped, spinning around on her foot and delivering a heel kick to the side of his head.

Maine lurched forward from the impact, allowing the rebel to throw in another strike before pinning him down with her leg. She poised her pistol to the back of his head to kill him, but Maine aimed his weapon at the ground right beneath her feet. He pulled the trigger as the grenade fired and detonated, throwing her into the air. Maine stood back up, grabbed her by the ankle and slammed her back to the ground, forcing her to let go of her gun and knife. He then took the Bruteshot and raised the blade edge before stabbing it into her neck.

That was how it was supposed to happen...but the woman had more surprises up her sleeve, it seemed. She tilted her head just right so the blade scraped up against the edge of her helmet, and then spiraled up, lifting her body up by the hands and then delivering a double spinning kick to Maine's armored face. Once, then twice, both in swift succession. He stumbled back a bit, and allowing her to jump back up. She flicked the knife back into her possession, and then whipped out a second one from her possession. She then proceeded to charge back in, going in low. Maine growled, shaking his head to shrug off the dizziness before he swung his weapon at her. She vaulted over him, landing behind him and landing a solid kick to his back, causing him to tumble forward. She threw one of the knives at him, stabbing into his shoulder. The pain wasn't horrible to him. After so long, it was more like an annoyance. He glowered as he turned around, and fired off one round from his Brute Shot. She ducked underneath it, letting the blast destroy a Warthog, engulfing it in flames. Then she charged back at him again.

Maine raised his weapon, intending to slam it down on her, but she was faster. She dodged it easily, and delivered an uppercut. The force of the blow nearly made him bite his tongue, and it knocked off his helmet. In retaliation, his arm whipped out, grabbing her by the shoulder, and delivered a headbutt, disorienting them both. Maine felt the worst, since he just crushed his head against a helmet, but quickly got over it and rammed his leg into her gut, throwing the wind out of her, and then delivered a strike of his own. This one threw her into the air, and also threw off her helmet. Sadly, instead of hitting the ground like he hoped, she landed on the ground square on her feet, and in a low crouch. With her helmet gone, he could see her face. Long, blonde hair spilled out, falling down to the shoulders, revealing fierce eyes, and a beautiful face, unblemished yet marred by war, giving her the look he had seen on both South and Carolina; a cold beauty, ready to kill.

Strangely, when the woman saw his face, she smiled lowly, licking her lips. For some reason, Maine felt afraid. For what, he had no idea. It didn't matter. He had to kill her and regroup with Carolina, Wash, and York. "Not bad," the woman - "Girlie" Maine decided - said, staring at his face. "Ten out of ten...shame I have to mess up that pretty face."

"And it's a damn shame I gotta kill ya, but them's the breaks." Maine scoffed as he whipped out his magnum pistol instead.

"Ooh...Fiesty. I like that."

She smirked. "Maybe...I can settle for breaking your bones, and then have fun with you. How about it, pretty boy?"

* * *

"U-um...P-Pyrrha...?" The red hooded girl squeaked nervously as she slowly backed away from the red haired Spartan, who now had an ominous aura of rage and death surrounding her.

Everyone began to follow her example, as the Invincible Girl's hair fluttered, her bangs covering her eyes while her teeth grinded against each other so hard that one would have expected them to shatter. The surrounding metals around them began to bend, twisting and warping, as if in result of her apparent...displeasure of the sight. "Ms. Nikos." Dr. Reed interjected calmly. "While it is understandable that you are upset, please try and settle down. I fear your semblance may accidentally destroy the projector and potentially harm Mr. Arc, who is still hooked up to it." Instantly, the aura began to settle down and disperse. However, the look of pure fury was still present on Pyrrha's face, as she glared at Girlie with never before seen intent.

As for her thoughts? They could be easily summed up, in the wise words of Lavernius Tucker, in two simple, straight-forward words.

 _ **'THAT BITCH!'**_

* * *

"Sorry, no thanks," Maine snarled. "Not really into women who are trying to kill me." He then opened fire, firing four rounds.

"Too bad~" She smirked as she ducked under the incoming bullets. "You seem like my type."

Maine didn't even deign to respond to that. Instead, he continued to shoot at the annoyance. But she proved to be a slippery one, always managing to evade each shot. Some bullets she evaded with ease, while others she cut down with her knives, producing a replacement for the one she lodged into his shoulder. She darted around, avoiding his attempts to gun her down before she hid behind one of the pillars. Letting out a small growl, Jaune took out his Brute Shot, and then fired off a shot. It blew the pillar apart, but Girle wasn't there. He looked around, now cursing over the loss of his helmet. If he had it, he would have been able to detect her thermal signature, or at least found her moving on his sensors. He turned around, and acting on instinct, he reared back, barely avoiding the knife coming dangerously close to his neck.

All those constant training simulations paid off. And now she was close enough and couldn't move away in time. So he aimed his weapon and fired a grenade right at her torso. The grenade forced her back and exploded, swallowing her in a burning cloud of shrapnel.

The armor had protected her, but a cry of pain was ripped from her mouth, and she was thrown across the garage, her body smacking against a Warthog. She hissed in pain, grabbing her side. She was about to get up, but a swift strike to the face crashed against her face, throwing her to the ground.

She didn't get back up.

"I should kill her," Maine grumbled, exhausted and relieved that the fight was over. "But...I've got other things to worry about." He gave another look at the garage. Only now did he notice that it was destroyed and demolished. Several pillars were broken, cars were obliterated, debris was littered everywhere. Thankfully, there were still a few cars left to use. "Huh...guess I went a little overboard," he shrugged. As he walked over to a nearby Warthog, he scooped up his helmet, and dusted off the bits of debris. He then slipped it back over his head. "Much better," he said before he noticed that his sensors were going off. "Wait...the hell is-"

Without warning, the building trembled, and a flash of light obliterated the ground not far from him, forming a giant hole.

"...oh son of a bitch." Maine muttered while panic gripped his chest. That was the Mother of Invention's main space laser cannon. That meant that the building now has a massive hole blasted through the center. Meaning that this building is due to collapse due to the compromise of structural integrity. In short, he had to get out of here now, or he'd be buried underneath 110 stories of rubble. He quickly hopped into the nearest Warthog, revved the engine, and shot out of the garage.

Already, the structure was beginning to crumble. Large slabs of concrete nearly fall on him as he drove, forcing him to steer away. He grit his teeth, pushing the pedal to the metal, lest he be crushed. The outside was just in reach, though he also noticed debris falling outside. He also caught sight of a familiar Pelican diving out, its hangars closing. That meant the objective had been reached. Now all that was left was to take the second objective. Then something struck him. If the Pelican was leaving...where was Carolina and Wash?

It was at that point he noticed two humanoid figures descending in a free fall. One of them had real armor while the other had brown. It was Carolina and York...and they were heading to the ground fast! Seeing the danger his friends were in, Maine punched the Warthog as fast as it could go, praying he'd make it in time. A large chunk of concrete nearly landed on him, barely hitting the Warthog. It shook a bit, but Maine didn't care. He would have though the pedal would have broken by now with how hard he was going. Finally, he reached the edge, and the Warthog flew out of the building. Just in time, too. Carolina's arms wrapped around the turret, and York landed on the passenger side.

"Are we in a car?!" The tan armored Freelancer yelled out in confusion.

The car scraped up against the pavement as it landed on the road before it dunked into a tunnel, greeting the Freelancers in darkness. "Whoo," Maine breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his newfound passengers. "So...how was the flight?"

"Shitty," Carolina replied cheekily, getting herself situated in the truck bed. "Nice timing, Maine."

"Aim to please, madam! So where's Wash?"

"Back in the Pelican with the Sarcophagus. Team A's mission is a success. Now we just gotta hear from Team B."

"Just glad we didn't go splat," he said before looking at Maine. "By the way..."

"Yeah?"

"You do realize you have a knife stuck in your back, right?"

He gave a grunt. "Bitch thought she could make me a toy and pincushion," he answered, not really bothered. Though now that York mentioned it, it did feel a bit irritating. Without much care, he reached over his shoulder, and pulled the knife out, then tossing it to the road, where it was left, quickly forgotten. "Left her behind. Hopefully she got crushed by the debris."

"Damn, Maine...you really know how to stand up a lady."

"Oh, please."

The car then re-emerged back on the roads, flying up a bit before landing back on the pavement. "Team B, report. Team B!" Carolina radioed North. Since they got the Sarcophagus, it was imperative that they get the access codes as quickly as possible.

"Team B is down!" North reported from his end. "We have wounded and are taking fire!"

"We'll be right there!"

"Negative, get the package and get it out of the city!" North advised.

"Roger that."

"Reading Team B's Tracker," York reported as he dodged a car, having swapped seats with Maine, who now sat in the passenger side, hanging on the edge with his Brute Shot at the ready, in case of Insurgents. "Okay...There he is! Got him!"

"We'll cut them of at the overpass." Carolina ordered. "Go! Go!"

York hit the gas as the Warthog sped up and wove through several cars. Soon they were at the designated point and got out. From their vantage point, they could see the objective approaching. Carolina saw it first then signaled Maine to take action. The white-armored Freelancer nodded and jumped off the edge of the overpass and landed on top of the official's car. The man inside tried to shake him off through a series of sharp turns but Maine held on tight. He then pulled out the Bruteshot from his back, the sharp blade gleaming in the sunlight. He positioned it so that it was pointed at the man inside, and with one swift motion, brought it down. The metal broke through the windshield as translucent shards and splatters of red flew through the air. Maine stabbed him once and dragged the blade across the official's body, severing the upper half of his torso from his body; head, neck, shoulders, everything.

Now that the car lacked someone driving it, it was about to crash into the oncoming wall. Maine pulled the Bruteshot out of his target, grabbed the briefcase containing the access codes, and jumped off. He tucked his legs in and hit the ground on a roll. The car continued on its doomed path and crashed into the wall head-on, resulting in a fiery explosion. The sight went hardly unnoticed, as a few cars pulled over to see if the driver was okay, in spite of the fact that he was dead and the car was now smoldering, burning metal. Maine grunted, and walked away from it all, the second objective, that being a briefcase, held over his shoulder. York pulled up, having used a sub-route to reach them. "Nice work, Maine."

"Thanks," the blonde brute replied gruffly before taking a seat.

York chuckled. "Subtle as always..."

He then looked over his shoulder in anticipation. "Response team is probably on their way."

"Then let's get the hell out of here." Carolina nodded.

"Hold on." York revved the engine and shot down the road. Not too far behind him were two UNSC air crafts. "Pardon me! Coming through! Excuse me! Look out!"

Carolina steadied herself due to York's driving and trying to evade hitting the other cars. She looked over her shoulder, and found the aircrafts, chasing after them. "Here they come!"

Then, emerging from the aircrafts, were two Insurrection soldiers. One was beefy, his armor sleeveless and revealing well-toned muscles. The other, however, had a heart-shaped insigna on the chest plate, and a kiss mark, much to Maine's chagrin. "Great," he groaned. "The bitch is still alive!"

"I thought you said the building dropped on her!" York shouted as he swerved around another car.

"She must've gotten out before the rubble buried her!" Maine responded.

"Enough talk, boys! Get ready!"

"They're behind us!" Carolina spun the turret around and aimed at the approaching rebels.

The soldiers charged at them, but were quick to take cover when Carolina began to unload lead into them with the Gatling Gun. The sleeveless soldier hid behind a truck while Girlie began to avoid it, dancing around the air with her jet back. Unbeknownst to the Freelancers, there was another rebel that circled around the cars next to them and landed on the flatbed of a truck ahead of them. He turned and crouched down with his rifle aimed at the Warthog. The other two rebels provided cover fire as a distraction, preventing Carolina from noticing the laser light aimed at her back.

But Maine noticed this.

"Maine, protect the briefcase!" Carolina yelled. She hadn't noticed the red light the sniper had on her. There wasn't a clean shot of him, either, as he would risk shooting one of the cars.

He growled, and braced himself for more pain. He moved his body to the left, and thus blocking the shot. The sniper fired at that moment, letting the bullet pierce straight into his shoulder - right into the gap between his armor. He bit back a scream, feeling how horrible the pain was, even letting go of his bruteshot, which fell into the bed of the jeep.

"Maine?!" Carolina cried, hearing the shot and seeing a blotch of red on his shoulder. She then noticed the sniper, and quickly ducked, avoiding a shot that would have hit her in the head. "Sniper!"

Then from out of nowhere, Agent Texas landed on the road with an assault rifle in hand. She sped closer to the Warthog while gunning down any Insurrectionists that were in her way. Sleeveless and Girlie noticed her and moved closer to the Warthog.

"Punch it York!" Carolina called noticing their advance.

"It's punched!"

Carolina looked overhead to see Girlie firing at them from above. She flipped and landed on the hood of the vehicle with her rifle pointed at the teal Freelancer. Carolina kicked the gun out of her hands and off the car. She leaped up, landing a kick to the Insurrectionist and throwing him off, leaving him to hover in the air. She then turned to Maine, who was still grunting in pain, trying to shake off the burning sensation that continued to writhe in agony in his shoulder.

He tried to push himself up, but Girlie's foot forced him back down. She grabbed the briefcase off his back. But before she could retreat, Carolina jumped up and landed another kick, knocking her away and forced the case out of her hands. She reached up to grab the item, albeit stumbling a couple times. But the moment she had it secured the sleeveless rebel came in and kicked her.

She was forced down to the front of the car, barely hanging unto the hood while the sleeveless rebel placed the case on his back. He then aimed his gun at Maine, intending to shoot him. York snarled under his helmet. "Not on my watch, asshole!" With a swift turn of the wheel, Carolina and the rebel were thrown to a truck, carrying several barrels. The case went flying, which Carolina grabbed in mid-air before they hit the truck. The rebel crashed into several of the barrels, throwing them out into the street. Girlie then dashed to her comrade's side, shooting at Carolina, forcing her to hide behind a barrel. The sleeveless rebel, meanwhile, threw barrels at the Warthog, trying to knock the car over. "Will you quit throwing shit?!"

The movements of the car, however, managed to get Maine the sense of stability he needed. He let out a low growl, and grabbed his Brute Shot. "Enough of this shit," he rumbled. York then proceeded to get the car closer to the truck, only for the sniper to take aim at them. "On your left!"

Maine immediately ducked down to avoid the sniper's rounds. York turned the wheel and rammed the Warthog into the side of the truck the sniper stood on. The rebel was knocked off the vehicle, but managed to reorient himself mid-air. He hen flew forward to try and find another vantage point but Maine stood up and smashed his fist into the sniper's visor when he came close. The strike knocked the dark armored soldier against the highway wall and sent him into a tumbling heap. York drove the vehicle closer to the truck Carolina was on.

"Watch it, watch it." Maine jumped from the Warthog onto the platform to back up Carolina. He tried to tackle Girlie but she rolled out from under him.

* * *

"Oooh! I'm getting goosebumps!" Yang shivered, an excited grin. "Man...taking a sniper shot to the shoulder? And he's still going? If only Jaune had this kind of endurance earlier! I could totally see him kicking ass and taking names!"

"I know!" Nora cheered. "Our fearless leader has gotten even more amazing! Kick their asses Jaune!"

Pyrrha and Ruby, however, did not share the two, more hyperactive and excitable members of their respective teams. They were both worried and afraid. Worried because Jaune just got shot in the shoulder, and things just seem to be escalating. Afraid because...

...because something seemed so wrong. As if there was something bad ready to happen.

And the worst part was?

They were right.

* * *

Maine moved in to punch Girlie, but the rebel fired a shot into the air to surprise him, giving her the chance to throw in a roundhouse kick to knock him into Carolina. The two Freelancers stood back to back, both looking at one another over the shoulder for a brief moment. They spun around to exchange foes and separated, this time with Maine carrying the briefcase.

That was when things suddenly began to go downhill.

Maine was in a fist fight against the sleeveless rebel while Carolina was gradually overwhelming Girlie. Carolina grabbed Maine's Brute Shot from the platform and swung it at Girlie.

Girlie evaded, trying to gun her down. Carolina jumped into the air, the bullets breezing past her before she landed on the ground, slashing at the chest plate, creating a small gash and sparks flying. Girlie let out a small cry of pain, and was stunned momentarily. This allowed Carolina to take the opportunity, and ram the blade forward. Blood gushed from the armor, and Girlie gave a weak gasp. She growled in rage, and then threw the gun in the air. Sleeveless caught it, ducking a punch from Maine. His arm whipped out, grabbing his wrist before delivering a headbutt. Maine reeled back, but quickly recovered, about to punch, but then Sleeveless rammed his fist into his helmet. He was knocked back further, even stumbling backward. Growling in frustration, he whirled around and threw a roundhouse punch. The punch was caught, a large hand grabbing his own.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Sleeveless pointed the gun right at the base of Maine's helmet. The bullet impacted his visor, crackigbit an momentarily stunning him. He then grabbed the Freelancer by the shoulders and grew him down on the platform. Maine tried to get up by the rebel slammed his foot on his chest, effectively pinning him. Sleeveless then pointed the gun and shot Maine point blank in the throat.

Nine times

Carolina, hearing the rapid shots and subduing Girlie, turned to see blood splattered across Maine's chest armor and helmet. Her mouth went wide, and her eyes became the size of dinner plates, fear overtaking her. "NO!"

* * *

Silence. A dead silence. Chilling enough that one could hear the soft humming of the machines hooked up to Jaune.

Everyone's excitement about the fight had fallen, replaced with only a chilling realization and horror. Yang's face had lost call color, turning her face away to not see what had just happened. Blake's was one of disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what she just saw. When she did, her face crunched in fear and horror, closing her eyes and lowering her head, unable to watch this any further. Weiss' hands covered her face, unable to stand the brutality and coldness of the action done to the blonde that had once tried to woo her. Ruby let out a useless, ear-shattering cry, closing her eyes tightly, tears openly falling from her face while her hands covered her ears. She couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't right. It wasn't fair. What happened to Jaune wasn't fair. That was...it was...she couldn't find the words...and she couldn't bear to watch any further.

For Team NPR, it was worse. Nora buried her face into Ren's shirt. wrapping her arms around him tightly, her grip strong as if she were afraid he might disappear. Her sobs were muffled by smearing her face in his chest, tears staining the green fabric. Ren hugged her back, one arm rubbing circle at her back and another gently stroking her head, his chin resting atop her scalp, eyes shut. However, his shoulders were trembling, as were his arms. Neither could bear to see, nor watch this any further. It brought back too many memories. Horrible memories. Memories of what had happened to them when they were younger. Memories of what had happened to them when Kuroyuri was attacked, ravaged by Grimm.

For Pyrrha Nikos...the effects were much, much worse.

Her face lost all color, her eyes lost all light, no sound escaped her lips. Her legs couldn't support herself any longer after witnessing this horrible revelation. The sound of gunshots repeated in her ears, over and over again like a broken record. Slowly, feeling regained in her body. Her heart began to beat against her chest. Her breaths became pants, quickly becoming panicked breaths. Her pupils shrunk, eye shaking. Memories of the mission from before replayed. Memories she tried so hard to push back. The sight of Jaune falling.

Then, like Ruby, a scream of terror and horror ripped from her throat. She did not know how long she screamed. Her cries resounded until her throats felt hoarse and she was choking on sobs.

'It's my fault...it's all my fault...'

All that filled the room were pained screams and sobs. All for Jaune, the young lovable idiot who fought for them...

The one who had become a soldier, and paid the price.

* * *

Black.

Everything was...black.

Maine could barely register what was happening. Everything was flickering back and forth. He could barely remembered what happened. After getting shot in the throat, pain and agony filled his being. He tried to scream, insult the bastard, but no sound came. Only choking and inaudible sounds. He barely remembered what happened afterwards. He tried to help Carolina, but his memories were becoming blurred. When he opened his eyes, he heard the sounds of panicked screams and shouts, of North and the others standing over him. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he found Carolina and York and Wash at his side, the familiar celing of the bulkhead over him.

When the Pelican finally arrived at "Angel On My Shoulder," he had completely lost consciousness. The shuttle doors opened, and immediately, the meds pulled him out, placing him on a stretcher and rushing him to an ER. "Can't you stabilize him?!" Washington snapped as he ran, trying to keep up with the medics while the blonde soldier sat in the stretcher, his white armor cracked and stained with red, and his helmet littered with fractures. "Isn't there something I can do?!"

"Just stay calm, Agent Washington!" One of the medics advised him. "We have the situation under control."

Biting his lip, the Gray armored soldier looked at his friend in concern. "Come on...hang in there, buddy." Eventually, Maine was pulled into the ER. Washington tried to enter, wanting to be by his friend's side, but one of the medical crew stopped him. "Hey!" he argued. "That's my friend! I-"

"Sorry sir," the medic said respectfully. "Medical crew only."

Before Washington could rebuke him or argue any further, the doors slid shut. He let out a yell of frustration, ripping off his helmet and kicking the door. "Typical medical bullshit," he snarled, walking away. At the very least, he could see what was happening to his friend from the viewing center. As he traversed the corridors, the meds were already stripping Maine of his armor, tearing off the chest plate and working on the helmet. "We're losing him," one of them reported. "Stabilize his vitals." Eventually his helmet, cracked and bloodied, was removed from his head as it floated in the room. Wash eventually reached the viewing room in time. His face became pained, seeing the bloody mess that was his friend's neck.

"Agent Washington," he turned, and found the Director of Project Freelancer walking toward him, dressed in the white medical garb the meds wore, currently in the process of putting on his helmet. "Status report."

"...we secured both packages sir. But Agent Maine was shot in the line of duty. His wounds are fatal."

The Director obviously did not look pleased. "How is it that a soldier of Maine's caliber was so severely wounded by a pair of Insurgents?"

"The Insurgents...were better prepared than we were, sir."

"Disappointing," the Director said. "But we'll deal with that after surgery." With that, the man walked past his subordinate, and into the emergency room.

Washington then turned back to the operation. His hands clenched, and grit his teeth in frustration. First York...and now Maine was injured badly? What the hell was this? "The best my ass," he spat. The mission was supposed to be simple. The Insurrectionists were just supposed to be idiotic rebels who didn't like the way things were going, and now Maine was badly hurt because of them! It was a miracle he was even still alive, even after getting nine shots to the throat, being hit by a truck, and then thrown off the bridge! Out of anger, he struck the glass, panting. If only...if only things had gone differently...!

"How's he doing?"

Washington calmed himself down, and turned his head. He found York standing behind him, his helmet gone and revealing his damaged eye. "Hey man," he greeted back lamely before turning back to Maine's surgery. "It's not good. He was shot in the throat, nine times. The medics said that, even if he survived...he'll never be able to talk again."

"Seems like people are getting hurt a lot these days," York commented, walking over to Washington's side. "More us than others."

"Yeah...it's just that everything's moving so much more quickly now. The mission, the suits, and now...this talk of...what were they called again? AI?" He turned to his friend in concern. "York...do you ever think we're moving too fast?"

"The whole universe is moving too fast, Wash," a female voice called. The two turned, and found Carolina walking over to them. Like them, her helmet was gone, revealing her face set in worry and anxiety. "And we're trying to keep up."

"Hey," York greeted. "Surprised to see you here. Thought you'd be pissed about Tex, still."

The red-haired Freelancer closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. After failing to retrieve the case, her glory was stolen by Texas of all people, much to her quickly growing displeasure. However, as much as she was frustrated, she had bigger concerns. Namely, who was in the operation room. She opened her eyes again, and stared at Maine's unconscious form. "Maine's like the kid brother I never had," she said. "That, and...part of me thinks it was my fault that he got hurt. If I was better, if maybe.." She sighed in mild frustration. "And here I am, making excuses. Talk about pitiful. No wonder I got bumped down to 2."

Wash stared at her, alarmed. "Wait, what?!"

"Yeah," Carolina got out bitterly. "Now Texas is Number 1."

"What?!" Wash exclaimed again. Carolina was bumped down a rank?!

Even York seemed shocked to hear this, but then his face softened. 'Maybe it will do some good,' he thought, knowing how competative Carolina had gotten lately since Texas arrived and kicked his, Maine, and Wyoming's ass. "Well," he said, looking back at the operation. "Hopefully Maine makes it through this."

"Hey," Carolina offered with a slight, proud smile. "He took a sniper bullet, and even after getting shot in the throat, got up. He even took being hit by a truck and going off the bridge. If that didn't kill him, I don't know what will."

"You're probably right. Probably nothing short of a Pelican crashing into him will kill him..."

"Or maybe a bunch of simulation troopers tying him to a Warthog and pushing it off a cliff and throwing him into the ocean," Washington said. Naturally, this earned looks from the two. "...what?"

* * *

" _You keep trying to play yourself off as some sort of weapon. That you don't care about anyone or anything. But the fact that you're trying so hard to understand me breaks your entire act! No matter how hard you may want to be, you're not a machine, you're a murderer. But you hide behind the idea in your head, because you're too afraid to take responsibility for what you've done._ " -Washington

* * *

 **A/N:** And with that, ladies and gents, we are done with S9, and on to S10! Whoo, at the right we're going, we'll hit the RWBY storyline in two or three more chapters! Man, are we on a roll or what?! Sadly, this streak will end, as tomorrow, the long awaited game, Persona 5, is going to be released. Sorry guys, but I have been waiting for that game for YEARS. Games come first.

Season 15 of Red vs Blue also dropped...and I agree with the majority of people who say these guys are fakes. I mean, come on! Any who saw the episode know that attack was well-thought out and planned! Since WHEN do the Reds and Blues plan ahead of time?! They're all idiots! Lovable idiots, but idiots all the same. I do question the lack of Carolina and Washington, though. Just what happened in between those ten months?

Also...some people are confused about Texas and Alpha. Since it was Alpha who gave her the name Texas, I would assume that Alpha and Texas knew each other, so they are aware of each other. Although, one might argue that it was AU. Take it as you will...but then again, what do you expect? This IS Jaune as Maine, so that should tell you it is AU already.

Well, that should be it for now. Oh! But I should inform you! I have a new Red vs Blue crossover story written! It is titled, "Why I'm Here," so please give it a read! I want it to be as popular as this one! Any love you've shown me for this one, please show to "Why I'm Here" as well! I even have a poll regarding that story, which you can check out on my page! "Why I'm Here," will be updated at the same time this is!

That's it for now! Later losers, and I'll see you next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

_"_ _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after._

 _"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._

 _"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 8: Descent

When Ozpin returned to Beacon, his first stop was the room where the Meta, Agent Maine, Jaune Arc, or whichever one he may have been. To his surprise, he found no one inside but Doctor Krimzen Reed, and as he expected, the blonde still unconscious. "Welcome back, sir," the doctor greeted casually as he monitored the boy's condition. "How was your visit to Mr. Ironwood?"

"Eventful," the Headmaster answered as he looked around. "How odd...I don't see Ms. Nikos or the others anywhere."

The old man sighed as he scratched his neck, standing up and turning away from his patient briefly. His face was somber, much more so than usual, as if he had taken a lot of time for something that had brought him much trouble. "They...witnessed Mr. Arc being shot in the throat."

There was a silence of understanding between the two men. Ozpin, for his part, replayed the mental image back in his mind, and then looked back at Jaune Arc's unconscious body. How that boy survived such atrocious wounds in his state was beyond him, but he had survived...and came out stronger because of it. However, whether or not this gain of strength was good or bad was entirely up for debate. Still, the memory must have been harsh to have been witnessed by Ms. Nikos and the others. After all, they were close to the boy, and seeing him so brutalized, right before their eyes...it must have been heart-wrenching for them. Still, a well-needed break was much needed, and now they had it. They had been pushing themselves too hard to find out the source of Jaune's mental state, so perhaps there was some good, however questionable, seeing that memory.

Ozpin approached the bed, and took out his Scroll. As soon as he did, much to Krimzen's shock, a holographic soldier appeared, hovering in the air and dressed in blue armor. "Good god that was horrible!" the hologram complained, looking at Ozpin in disapproval. "I swear, you shove me in that damned thing of yours again, I'm haunting your ass for a MONTH!"

"Come now. Surely it wasn't that bad." Ozpin assured the AI.

"Not bad?! You try being a ghost shoved into a cell phone of all things! Not fun, pal!"

"...Oz," Krimzen said, unsure what to make of what he was seeing. "What...is that?"

"This is Mr. Church," he introduced the blue holographic soldier. "An AI involved in Project Freelancer."

Church growled at the gray-haired man. "Again, NOT AN AI!"

"Project Freelancer?" the doctor asked, eyes widening in surprise. "So...it appears the suit was hardly the only thing Mr. Arc brought home with him."

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "Indeed. James is working behind the council's back trying to restore them, and Mr. Church was the first. He's also agreed to help...mend, Mr. Arc's mind."

"Truly now?" The doctor raised a brow in surprise. "But...how will he be able to do that?"

"I can just go inside the guy's mind, and try to fix things." Church responded. "I mean, it worked before with Caboose."

"...Caboose?"

"Don't ask," Church deadpanned. "Trust me." He then looked at Jaune's unconscious form, and folded his arms. "So...this kid's the Meta?"

"Correct," Ozpin nodded. "May I formally introduce Mr. Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR."

"Juniper? The hell kind of a name is that? It's a fucking plant."

"Team names are in correspondence with a color," Krimzen explained. "For example, one of the second year teams is called "CFVY," and another first year team, "RWBY." It's been like that for as long as anyone can remember."

"You make team names after colors? That's pretty weird..." The Ghost stated.

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "And you claiming to be a ghost isn't?" he asked. Church gave him a flat stare. "At any rate...do you think you can help Mr. Arc?"

"Well, I'll know when I get a peek in his head," Church responded, now standing atop the pillow where Jaune rested his head. "Though I ain't lookin' forward to this...I mean, dude. He had 8 freakin' AI stuffed in his head!" He shuddered. "God, I'm not looking forward to this." Cautiously, he approached the blonde, though he stopped and then turned towards Ozpin. "If I don't make it back...I am so haunting your ass."

With that said, he dived straight into Jaune's head.

* * *

"...e's coming to!"

Maine groaned, feeling his head throbbing uncontrollably as he opened his eyes, only to close them shut again and open them again repeatedly, slowly adjusting to the harsh light above him. The blurred out sounds in his ear sharpened, becoming familiar voices, and the blotch of colors in his sight dissipated, leaving behind a clearer picture. Standing over him was Washington and Carolina, both of whom were out of their armors, and their faces laced with relief.

"Thank god," Wash laughed, wiping away the tears in his eyes. "Thought you'd never wake up, buddy!"

"Yeah. We thought we lost you a few times back there." York nodded with a relieved smile.

"How are you feeling, Maine?" Carolina asked him with concern.

The white armored Freelancer opened his mouth to respond, but barely any sound came out, coupled with the dull pain from is throat. Tried as he may, the only thing he could verbally produce were guttural growls. Suddenly, he became panicked as he touched his throat. There, he felt patches of wounded skin, scattered and clumped around his adam's apple. For a moment he was terrified, wondering what had happened to his voice before he remembered the mission. He and Carolina were fighting off Insurrectionist soldiers when that sleeveless bastard shot him in the throat. He let out a growl of anger, hands clenched around the steel bars attached to his bed, face showing utter loathing. 'That son of a...'

"Aaaaaaand that answers the question," North sighed.

It was then that Maine noticed that a few of the Freelancers were here. York, Carolina, Wash, North...and even Wyoming. The mustached man looked quite perplexed and unsure of himself. On his part, Maine wanted to throttle the son of a bitch as payback for hurting York, but the sniper was unsually quiet. "...sorry, old chap," the man said, his voice heavily apologetic. "But...your vocal cords were destroyed. The doctors saved your life, but...they couldn't save your voice."

A panicked series of growls and grunts spewed out of his mouth from the shocking news. His vocal chords were destroyed? So he would never be able to speak again?!

"It's all my fault," Carolina said, looking down in shame. "If only I had been more careful..."

"Hey hey," York gently wrapped his hand around her arm. "No one's blaming you. We knew what we were getting ourselves into...right, Maine?" The blonde looked at the red-head. Her face was wracked with guilt, like she blamed herself for what happened. He let a hiss, shaking his head, and gave the best facial expression of worry, hoping it would be enough to convey his feelings. It seemed to work, as York grinned. "See? Even Maine agrees with me! On the plus side, he'll be scaring the shit out of Insurrectionists with the growls and snarls."

Taking this into consideration, Maine gave a small grunt of agreement. It'd be a good intimidation tactic. Now if only he could find the Insurrectionist that shot him in the throat and kill him...

"By the way, the Director said he wanted to see all of us when Maine woke up," North said. "He didn't say why, though. Might be about that AI thing we've been hearing about."

Maine frowned, and looked at Wash. "Apparently, Project Freelancer was given a generous donation by the UNSC," Washington told him. "Artificial Intelligences. Guys at the top of the leaderboard get first dibs on 'em."

So that meant he'd be getting one soon. But this news sure is sudden. Just when he regained consciousness too. "You good to go, Maine?" York asked the blonde. "If you wanna rest, go right ahead. We can always make something up with the Director...even if he knows it'll be bullshit."

The Freelancer shook his head as he pulled himself off the infirmary bed. He had enough rest already. Besides, he had to consult the director about his new problem. "You sure?" Wash asked in concern. "Seriously man, you can-" He was cut off when Maine glared at him, and growled. Instantly, he backed away. "Okaaay, nevermind. You're good." Nodding, Maine stood up on his feet. His stance was a bit shaky at first, but he regained his footing.

"Well, let's go see the Director," North said. Everyone then proceeded to follow him out the room, with York and Carolina hanging back around Maine, in case he fell on his feet.

.

.

.

.

"...huh," Church remarked as he observed the memory taking place, tilting his head. "Guess Wash was a decent guy before he got Epsilon stuck in his head."

He may have gone into Wash's head before to incapacitate the Meta so he could set off the emp, but he never really this side of him before. All he saw of him was during his time as a Recovery Agent, such as getting shot in the back and a lot of other dark stuff that could give a normal guy nightmares for weeks. Here, though, he seemed pretty laid-back, more open...and apparently like Tucker or Caboose, constantly on the receiving end of something fierce. However, he wasn't focusing on that. He was focusing on what was happening now - the administration of the AI's. It must have been when the Freelancers first receive the AIs.

"Okay...if I remember what Tex told me, that North guy got something called Theta, York was Delta's original partner," Church muttered. "So...who's the Meta gonna get?"

From what he remembered, the AI Gamma, also known as Gary, was partnered with Wyoming, so he was out. Then there was Omega, who could jump into any host, but he always chose Tex, so he was out too... Actually, just how many AI did Project Freelancer have? The curiosity continued to follow him as he moved, continuing on with the memory. As he did, he took a look around the area, noting that they must have been on a ship or something, or at the very least some kind of high-tech facility. Eventually, the Freelancers had arrived at their destination, and entered inside what appeared to be a command center. Several consoles lined up the walls and in the center of the room, while up ahead, the bridge lied in wait, with several holographic screens floating.

"The hell?" Church questioned. His head was starting to hurt. Somehow, this room seemed...familiar. "Wait...have I...been here before?"

He shook his head. No, that was impossible. There's no way he could have been here. He then noticed two people walking up the group of Freelancers, both of whom looked really familiar, further increasing the unusual pain in his head. One was a man with dark skin and a shaven head with barely any hair atop his dome, and the other, an aged man with sunken cheeks, square glasses upon his nose, and dark hair with streaks of gray. "I see everyone is here," the man in glasses said, nodding. Church recognized the voice immediately from when Washington squared off with the Meta before the EMP went off. "Agent Maine...welcome back to the world of the living."

"So...that's the Director," Church noted to himself. "Geez...was expecting someone kinda...more."

Based on what Tex told him over the years, he expected the Director of Project Freelancer to be...more intimidating or something. But this guy? He looks just like a weary, old man... Was he really the one in charge of the project?

The Director's statement was responded with a series of grunts and growls. "I think that means, 'thanks," York supplied. "So, what's this about AI's, sir?"

"Exactly as it sounds, Agent York," the dark-skinned man, Church remembered him as the one called a Counselor, said politely. "The UNSC has graciously donated us artificial intelligence for use. In order to gather data, and to improve your combat capabilities, we have decided to pair each of you, starting with our most experienced and talented Freelancers, with an AI."

"So each of us are getting our own AI partner? Sounds pretty cool." York hummed.

Church thought otherwise.

After all...that AI called Sigma, the one that Ozpin told him was given to Maine, he pretty much forced him to kill his comrades to steal their AI, thus becoming the Meta. Besides...who would want someone else in their head? Honestly, he could see why Washington kept refusing Delta to enter his head.

Today, we will be selecting two candidates to undergo surgery for the AI implantation," the Director stated, earning confused looks from everyone. "These AIs are not the ones you are mostly familiar with. They are...different, in nature. In order for them to be used at their full capability, an AI must be implanted directly into your neural system."

"W-whoa, wait, what?!" Wash's eyes widened. "Um, sir, no offense, but are you telling us we're gonna have someone...INSIDE OUR HEAD?!"

"That is correct, Agent Washington." The Counselor nodded. "In order for the AI to be fully utilized, we need to implant them in your neural implants. It is the only way."

Church scoffed. "Yeah, sure," he said. "And make insane nuts while you're at it."

North frowned heavily, and stepped forward a bit. "With...all due respect, sir," he said, keeping his tone respectful. "Are you sure that's wise? The human brain is...well, there's only so much that we can process. Having an AI, an advanced and complex program stuck in our heads...that's a LOT of thing to process."

"We are aware of that, Agent North," the Counselor answered smoothly. "However, we have already run the prelimnary tests...it is safe."

"I call bullshit on that." The Ghost dead panned. The director is probably lying in order to get the freelancers to be more comfortable with the aspect of getting an AI stuck in their heads. Safe? Yeah, not really. If it really were safe, then there wouldn't be any problems like the Meta.

Regardless, the other Freelancers shared the same unease as North. However, eventually, they accepted this new change, albeit with some reservations. "How many AIs did we receive?" Carolina asked. "And who will be receiving them?"

"So far, we have three AIs now in our possession," the Director answered curtly. "Sigma, Theta, and Delta. We've also been informed that we will receive new AIs, should our experiments show...progress. And as for the Agents receiving these AIs, they are our most experienced, and talented. In other words, those on the Leaderboard." He adjusted his spectacles, and then looked at three Freelancers in particular. "Agent York, you will receive Delta. Agent North will be given Theta, and Agent Carolina, Sigma."

"Whoa, wait, what?!" Church shouted, taken completely off guard. "Carolina was given Sigma?! The fuck?!" This...was not what he was told. He thought the Meta always had Sigma, so how did Carolina get chosen to have him?! He took a moment to pause, then a solution came. "Wait...oh, fuck me sideways."

The two of the three named soldiers gave a nod, though Carolina seemed to reject the proposal, as she stepped forward. "With...all due respect, Director," she responded. "I think it would be best if Maine was given Sigma instead." Church paled. Fuck, he hated being right! So this was how he got Sigma! Because Carolina chose to give it to him instead. If what Tex told him was right, Carolina was arguably the best soldier among the Freelancers, second only to Tex...if only because she kept becoming too damn competitive. If Sigma had been given to her...well, that was a scary thought. If Carolina was only a cut below Tex, he'd hate to think how she was as the Meta. Going back to the memory he was viewing, the Director stared at her. "Maine lost his voice, so having an AI speak for him would make communication and teamwork skills much easier. Additionally...I..." She paused, then sighed. "I...don't think I'm ready for an AI yet. The last mission proved I am...unfit for the chance to have this opportunity. Had I led the team better, had I known what the Insurgents were using..."

"...very well then," the Director gave a nod, then turned to Maine, who looked at Carolina in concern. "Agent Maine, you will be entrusted with Sigma."

The mute Freelancer gave a glance at his red haired friend, then turned to face the director with a nod.

"Okay then," Wyoming folded his arms. Church had nearly forgotten about him, and scowled. He had yet to forget that son of a bitch after everything he's done back at Blood Gulch. "So...what about the others? You DID mention other AIs in the future, if I'm not mistaken."

"They will be given at a later date," the Director responded. "In the meantime...Agent York, head to Recovery 1 center. You will be the first to receive your AI. Agent Maine, you will be next. Agent North will receive Theta at a later date." The three nodded the first and third mentioned Freelancer gave verbal response of 'yes sir' while Maine gave a small snarl of approval. "Very good," the Director nodded. "Also...within the week, we will undertake what is probably one of our most important missions to date, since the retrieval of the Sarcophagus."

"And what's that, sir?"

"The elimination of the Insurrectionists," he responded, earning shocked looks. "After years of searching, we believe we have found their primary base."

"Really, sir?"

"Yes, Agent Carolina. The mission will entail taking down their leader."

"Insurrectionists?" Church tilted his head. "Oh yeah...didn't Tex mention those assholes before? Something about them fighting the UNSC for some shit and had a mole in Project Freelancer?" He paused, then sighed. "Yep...talking to myself inside someone's head. Starting to think I'm the one who needs a Shrink."

At times like these, he really wish he had someone to talk to...

...well, so long as they weren't Caboose or someone from the Red team. Because based on his track record, he'd either be killed or annoyed to the point of wanting to kill himself.

* * *

"...do you think this AI can help Mr. Arc?" Krimzen asked, looking at his patient in concern. "More importantly...can we trust it?"

"From what I could tell from our meeting, Mr. Church seems to genuinely want to help Mr. Arc." Ozpin told him.

"Perhaps, but..."

The Doctor could not help but feel anxious about this. They did not know much about the AI, even when he went through Jaune Arc's memories, he did not know a lot about the one named Church, other than it was partnered up with Agent Washington for a time with another blue armored soldier.

Everything after Jaune Arc becoming the Meta was...skewed. The memories were fuzzy and hard to read, but from what he gathered, Jaune was hunting down the remaining AIs, including something known as the 'Alpha.' However, when it corned the Alpha, and Agent Washington, an EMP was released, and the AIs were destroyed. Everything afterwards was something a blur. Only bits and pieces were left behind. From those fragments, he saw memories of him and Agent Washington collaborating to hunt down an AI named Epsilon. From brief moments, he saw them shoot and kill other colored soldiers, some aliens, before ultimately fighting against Agent Texas on an icy terrain. After that, everything else was still blurred. The mental damage was bad to the point where even the memories were damaged. And now, it seemed the only way to heal this damage was through an AI of all things. It wasn't a desirable solution, given the lad's experience with artificial intelligence, but it was their best bet in trying to restore the fractured mind.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to trust Church," Krimzen relented. "Although, I must ask...where did you find him?"

"James showed me to him. He told me that Mr. Church was the first AI that they managed to successfully bring online thanks to a student of his."

The doctor quirked an eyebrow. "You did mention James helped out...surprising, really. I would have thought he was more cautious."

"Oh, he most definitely was." Ozpin replied as he sipped his coffee. "However, I managed to talk him out of it, along with Church's help, of course."

A chuckle emerged from the old man. "Is that so?" he asked with mirth. "Sounds to me like he's getting soft."

* * *

"Ugh..." York groaned, rubbing the spot where the impant was buried into his neck. "Man...I don't know which hurts worse. My head, or my neck."

[My apologies,] a green holographic soldier said, flickering into view. [To my understanding from the preliminary data, this is a common occurrence when first implanted. The headache should dissipate in a few days.]

"Hey, it's Delta," Church remarked, feeling slightly happy to see the green AI again, if only in memory form. "Lookin' good, D." He folded his arms and dipped his head in thought. "Penny said that General guy was working on restoring the other AIs...so I wonder if Delta's being repaired too." He paused, and sighed. "Aaaaaand I'm talking to myself again. What am I, Simmons?!"

He focused back on the memory. Maine gave a slight stare at Delta, clearly unsure whether to be impressed or disappointed. Meanwhile, Carolina whistled in appreciation. "Not what I was expecting, but still impressive," she said. "So, how long do you think North'll be in there?"

"A few hours," South replied, sitting on a nearby chair outside the medical wing. "Doctors said that he might be out for a while after implantation...hey, if the top guys from the leaderboard are getting AIs first...does that include the lower-ranked members too?"

"It's possible." York shrugged. "I mean, the Director said that they would be getting more AIs. So it could be safe to assume that the lower ranked ones would get some too."

South was silent for a bit, but then developed a cold smirk. "...sweet."

"Uh oh," Church noted. "I know that look..."

That was the look he saw on Tex every time she hears that an award is involved. It was worse by the fact that it was the same bitch that Washington shot...who just happened to be the one who shot him in the back. Given what he's seen so far...the woman was proving herself to be a bitch. Now he was starting to understand why Wash shot her.

[At any rate,] Delta turned to the Freelancers. [It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I am Delta, York's personal AI Fragment.]

"Nice to meet you Delta. Hope you can help out One-eye's blindside now..."

"Hey now," York grinned. "That's 'Captain One-Eye.'"

[I believe I will be of proper assistance to Agent York's disability.] The AI nodded.

"Good to know," Carolina nodded. just then, the doors leading to the operation room opened, and revealed North, albeit sluggish on his feet, hanging off the arm of one of the medical officers. "Whoa, you okay there, North?"

"I'll live...This is just...gonna take some getting used to..." He cradled his head on one of his hands as he looked at the rest of his comrades. "My head is killing me..."

[That would be because of your implantation,] Delta informed him. [It took Agent York a few hours to get accomodate my additional presence in his neural system.]

"Yeah, and I'm still feeling the after effects, D." York replied as he rubbed his temples.

Maine let out a grumble, shaking his head while he rubbed his neck. He was not going to be looking forward to the impantation tomorrow. "Hey, it'll be alright," Carolina told him, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. "Besides, with this Sigma thing, I'm sure you'll be scaring the crap out of any Insurrectionist dumbass stupid enough to tangle with you."

"Oh yeah," Church said sarcastically. "And turn him into a monster while you're at it!"

Naturally, his words were unheeded in the memory. He still felt Maine's gratitude about Carolina's words, however, and gave a small grin. He then looked at North, expecting to find an AI forming. He would have asked, but when he tried, he found himself growling, much to his annoyance. He had forgotten he had lost his voice. Thankfully, York seemed to have translated for him. "So, what's your AI like?"

"He's...hiding," North answered as the medics set him down on the bench. "Apparently, he's a bit...scared, being put in someone's head."

[Theta's emotional programing is akin to a child in its adolescences,] Delta told him. [However, I am sure he will come to trust you in time.]

"I hope so. I feel bad for the little guy..." North admitted. "He's a bit like South was when we were kids."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" His siter turned to him with an inquisitive glare.

North smirked at her. "Need I remind you about that one time when you got so scared dad had to drive you around to help you fall asleep?" he teased, causing her face to burn red and scowl, looking away in irritation. "Heh...anyway...out of curiosity, what is Maine's AI gonna be like?"

[Unfortunately, I cannot say,] Delta shook his head. [The Director has given us strict protocals as to not reveal the nature of other AIs. Or rather, AIs that have yet to be implanted into their respective Freelancers.]

"So like a surprise then," York said. "Well, here's hoping it ain't some homicidal computer program.]

"Yeah? Well, hopes have fucking gone to shit." Church snapped at him. "Sigma is exactly a fucking homicidal computer program!"

* * *

"...Pyrrha still hasn't come out of the bathroom?" Ruby asked, eyes frowned in concern as she and her Team spoke with NPR members Nora and Ren. "How long has it been since she last ate?"

"Two days," Ren said, sadness clear in his voice. "What we saw happened to Jaune...I think it finally broke her, Ruby. She was pushing herself, so obsessed with wanting to find out how he became who we fought in Forever Fall, and after seeing that...she finally cracked." He stared at the floor, clenching his hands together. "I...don't blame her. Seeing what happened to Jaune...it reminded me of what happened back home." The home he had when he was a kid. When he still had his mother and father. Where he met Nora. The village of Kuroyuri...which has been long since abandoned after the Grimm attack so long ago. An entire village and its residents wiped out...all at the hands of the Grimm...one, in particular, causing the most damage, as well as the deaths of his parents. Nora's eyes softened in concern, touching his shoulder. He looked up, seeing her face, and sighed. "Sorry," he apologized. "For now...let's give her some time."

"...Okay..." Ruby replied sadly. As much as she wanted to help her friend, she also knew that Pyrrha really needed some time alone.

"So...what now?" Yang asked. "I mean...do we go back to Vomit Boy, see how he's doing?"

Weiss stared at her with wide eyes. "After what we just saw, you want to see his memories again?!" she asked, aghast. Frankly, what she witnessed was horrible, a fact shared by everyone else. Pyrrha's reaction to all of it was by far the worst, but everyone had the same reaction - absolute horror and fear. If being shot in the throat was what crippled Jaune, they couldn't even begin to fathom what else laid in store. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Whoa, hey now!" she held up her hands in defense. "I just said see him, nothing about his head!" she gave a pale grimace, thinking back to the bullets to the throat. Unconsciously, her hand touched her own Adam's Apple. "You know, wait and see if he wakes up! That sort of thing! He needs at least some familiar faces around him when he wakes up."

Blake closed her eyes. "...given how he is right now...would he even remember us?"

"He remembered Pyrrha, didn't he?" Ruby pointed out. "Otherwise, why miss the shot he had when he had her pinned?"

"Maybe, but still...we don't know for certain how he will react to us. It's best to remain cautious."

"I say we go see him!" the orange-haired girl shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "I wanna be there when Jauney wakes up! That way, I can give him my share of pancakes!"

"Nora, he'd still be unconscious when we get there." Ren pointed out, yet smiled nonetheless. "But the sentiment is good enough."

Weiss sighed. "Well...alright," she said before a small smile formed on her face. "Let's go."

* * *

Church was really starting to get annoyed as he continued to view the Meta's memories. He was starting to understand why he directors in movies cut certain segments and went with time skips and scene changes. He was practically forced to watch everything happen in the Meta's life in real time, always and only skipping ahead when he went to sleep.

"Seriously!" he complained. "Where's the fucking skip button in here?!"

He was not used to this whatsoever. He was used to checking out mental problems thanks to Caboose, and had experience kicking out unwanted guests as well, such as O'Malley or Omega or whatever the fuck his name was. However, in order to get an idea as to find out what he was looking for, Church to had view the memories in their entirety. He couldn't just look around randomly like last time. If he wanted to know what to look for, he had to look at the memories.

In all honesty, though...what kind of bullshit was this?! It was like he was in some kind of fanfiction where the authors had to make up some bullshit excuse to lead up to the solution with a stupid-ass problem!

...suddenly, he felt like he had just pulled a Caboose or something.

At any rate, thankfully for his own sanity, Maine had finally got off the operating table, and was now in the med bay, currently unconscious. He showed signs of awakening shortly afterwards, as his eyes began to flutter open, only to squint when he was greeted with harsh light - a familiar scene from when he woke to find his voice robbed of him. Worse, his head hurt, like there was something crammed inside of it and was taking up more space than what he would have liked.

'Fuck,' he thought tiredly. 'What happened? Feels like a goddamn hangover...'

[That would be a disturbingly accurate assessment, Agent Maine.]

Before his eyes, a miniature humanoid appeared in a flicker of flames. Unlike Delta, this AI was dressed in a uniform similar to the Directors, its body red and covered in flames. 'Okay...this dudes gotta be evil for sure.' the flames were a pretty big flag raiser for that.

[Greetings. My name is Sigma. It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you, Agent Maine.]

Maine gave a low growl as he lifted himself up, palming his head. 'They weren't kidding about a headache.' He turned to Sigma, who had his hands behind his back in a respectful manner. 'Nice to meet ya...ugh, fucking hell. This what North and York felt like after getting an AI in their head?'

[I would assume so,] Sigma answered. [After all, having an artificial intelligence implanted into your neural system is quite the taxing burden.]

'I'll say...' Maine mentally replied. 'It feels like a jackhammer is pounding the inside of my skull. At least you can read my thoughts...makes for easier communication."

[Indeed].

Church stared at the flaming form of Sigma, feeling vastly disturbed. His head was also starting to hurt even worse. "Fuck, what is this?" he groaned, holding his helmet. "And...that voice..."

That voice...it sounded familiar...REALLY familiar. Where did he hear it before? Why can't he REMEMBER?!

"Dammit! I know I've heard this voice before, but where?!" He tried to think back. Even as he tried, his head began to hurt worse. He shook his head in anger. He couldn't remember a damn thing! He was sure he heard the voice before...but for the life of him, something was missing. If Sigma was there when he jumped inside the Meta to buy Wash time to set of the EMP, then it would be understandable...but he was sure he's heard this voice before. Church was irritated about this, but as he returned his focus to the memory, he noticed something off. "...the fuck?"

The memory was...glitching. Red static was running across the world around him, most centered around Sigma and Maine.

"Wh-what the hell's going on?!" Church asked no one in alarm. "This...this shouldn't be happening...It's only a memory! What the fuck is going on here?!"

The memory was progressing like normal. Maine was conversing with Sigma in order to get better understanding...yet the static continued.

"Wait...is this...?"

The purpose of reviewing the Meta's memories was to find a sort of hint or clue about the mental problem Church had to solve. The static was clearly unusual, and out of place...yet it showed up exactly when Sigma appeared. Did that mean...Sigma was apart of the mental problem? It would make sense if that were the case. After all, he was the first AI to come into the Meta's possession...and the reason why he became a homocidal maniac hellbent on obtaining AIs in the first place.

"Okay," he muttered. "One clue I guess...but what else is there?" At any rate, he finally had a breakthrough. Sighing, he walked away, letting the memory fade away. The world became replaced with a dark corridor, and a light at the end. He walked toward it, noting how it felt like a cheesy scene of a life-death experience before he found himself back in to the medical wing where the blonde he knew as the Meta resided, along with that doctor and Ozpin. "Yo, Oz," he said as he emerged out from the Meta. Unlike last time, he was now back to his usual self, a transparent soldier in white armor. Shame, too. He actually liked the blue color. "Just found something inter...est...ing..."

He trailed off when he realized that the Headmaster of Beacon was not the only one present in the room. There were seven others, kids at that, with the youngest looking sixteen or so...and each of them was staring at him with a look of utter shock, surprise, disbelief, and so on.

"...er, hi?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the youngest of the kids, a girl with silver eyes and a red hood, and a girl with white hair screamed, jumping six feet into the air before clinging to each other. "I-I-I-I-IT'S A GHOOOOOOOOOST!"

"W-W-W-W-W-Wait! I-I can explain!" Church panicked, trying to get the situation under control. He was not good with this crap.

"What the hell?!" the blonde shouted in as yellow braces formed around her wrists. "The heck is that?!"

"Renny! It's a Ghost!" Nora cried. She then pulled out Magnhild and turned it into its hammer form. "Let's BUST it!"

"AHEM."

Everyone who had their weapons out stopped, and turned their heads to Ozpin, who took a leisurely sip of his mug before revealing an amused look on his face. "As amusing as this spectacle is," he said. "This is an infirmary. Please keep noise levels down to a minimum. Also, please try not to hurt Mr. Church too badly. Mind you, we do need him."

"The fuck?!" Church hissed. "Don't tell them that! Besides, they wouldn't even be able to actually hit me! They'd phase right through me! A-anyway, who are they?!"

"My students of course," he replied. "Allow me to introduce Team RWBY and Mr. Arc's teammates, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren."

"Nora and Lie? So I'm guessing they're the N and R of JNPR? But where's the P?"

"Whoa, wait, back up!" the blonde, Yang, shouted. She looked at Ozpin while pointing a finger at Church. "P-Professor, what the heck is that?!"

Church gave her a look through his helmet. "Uh, I'm a ghost?" he deadpanned. "What else do I look like?"

"In truth, Mr. Church here is an AI from Mr. Arc's suit that we managed to restore not too long ago. He is designated as the Alpha."

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you?! I! Am! Not! And AI!"

"SWEAR!" Ruby cried, still clinging to Weiss out of fear.

"Oh, come on! Seriously?!" Church cried in exasperation.

Ren was surprisingly calm in the entire situation, if a bit weary as he looked at Ozpin. "And...Church is here because...?"

"Because I'm pretty much the only guy who can fix the Meta's fucked up head," Church clarified, earning confused looks from the students. "Uh, Maine? Jaune or whatever the fuck his name is? Sleeping beauty of here!"

"Really?!" Ruby let go of Weiss and zipped over to him, making the Ghost backpedal a step. "Can you really help him?! Please!? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease...!"

"Can you really help him?!" Nora joined Ruby, looking at Church with a pleading look. "Please help our Leader! I'll give you pancakes if you do!"

"O-Okay, OKAY. I got it! Stop! Please! Personal space here!" Church exclaimed as he backed up from the crowding girls. They finally did so. "As I was saying...Yes, I can help your friend...but I just gotta figure out the source of the problem. Now, just as I was about to tell Oz here," He gestured to Ozpin. "...I think I might've found a lead."

Ozpin set his mug down on a nearby tell, and leaned a bit forward on his cane. "What have you found?"

"You said that the whole reason blondie here became the Meta was because of that AI Sigma, yeah?" Church asked. The Headmaster nodded. "Well, I reached the memory when the Meta met Sigma after he was implanted...and something weird happened."

Krimzen frowned. "Something weird?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"How do I put it...it's like there was static all over the place. And it showed up RIGHT as Sigma started to talking to the Meta."

"You are certain?"

"Positive. The entire memory got all glitchy with red static everywhere, so I have a feeling that Sigma had something to do with it. The weird thing though...I feel like...I've heard his voice somewhere before, I just can't remember where..."

"Well, you were inside Mr. Arc's armor," Ozpin pointed out. "Perhaps when you possessed him to let Agent Washington activate the EMP-"

"Whoa, stop right there," Church held up a hand. "You KNOW about that?!"

"Dr. Reed and myself viewed Mr. Arc's memories in their entirety, albeit some of his memories were...distorted. We could only view bits and pieces. Everything after he obtained the AIs Iota and Eta are unknown, almost like cut scenes from a film."

Church stared at the man, but then shook his head. He just didn't get this guy. Something about the man seemed seriously off, but not in the bad way. It was more like he was having trouble discerning what was going through the guy's head. "Riiight," he drawled. "Anyway, I know that much. I was inside there for a few seconds, but...I know I've heard Sigma's voice before. Way before that."

"Um, sorry," Yang raised a hand. "But what the heck is an AI?"

Weiss sighed, palming her forehead. "It means artificial intelligence," she explained to the brawler. "They're advanced computer programs based off the human mind. Basically, in terms that even a dunce like Ruby can understand-" The silver-eyed girl gave a mock glare and pout at Weiss for the remark. "-they're computerized humans. In other words, digital persons." She paused, letting this sink into Ruby's head so she could understand before turning back to Church. "So...to my understanding, Jaune and other members of this Freelancer program were given AIs?"

"Pretty sharp," Church nodded. "Yep. Tex got Omega, who's pretty much one giant asshole, and Wyoming got Gamma, who's a lying fucking asshole."

"SWEAR!"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" the ghost shouted, glaring at Ruby. "Get used to it, Red Riding Hood! Cause you're gonna hear more swearing in your life!" Krimzen coughed into his hand, returning the conversation back on course. Church sighed. "Anyway...the AIs are crammed inside your head instead of just being plugged into a suit. Any additional AI you got was placed inside the suit, but the hardware makes it so the new AI gets linked up to the first, so even though it ain't in your neural system or whatever the hell its called, its pretty much inside your head too."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "...and how many AI can you handle before your mind can't function properly?" he asked, earning startled looks from his friends. "The human brain can only process so much information, and an AI, while also arguably a human entity, is one giant compilation of data. Having one in your brain is stressful enough."

"Let me put it to you this way, China Boy," Church said, earning a quirked eyebrow from the pink-eyed teen. "There was this one Freelancer, Carolina. She had two AI in her head...and she didn't last for every long." He gestured his head towards Jaune. "And the Meta? He had EIGHT AIs stuck in his head."

"WHAAAAAAT?!" RWBY and NR screamed in shock. Jaune had THAT many AIs crammed in his head?! How did he not get a mental shutdown?!"

"Dunno," Church shrugged. "But his head is probably one giant mess of fucked up shit."

"SWEA-!"

"Stop that!" Church cut Ruby off. "Anyway, long story short, I just need to find that fucked up shit, and his mind should be back to normal!" He paused. "...probably."

"Probably?! You don't even know if it will work?!" Weiss questioned.

"Hey, back off Ice Queen! This shit's hard and complicated, okay?! It's sure as hell not like Caboose's head!"

Weiss felt her eyebrow twitch. Even a ghost was calling her by that damned name?! "Who the hell is Caboose?!"

"A stupid, motherfucking idiot who killed me with my own goddamn tank, that's who!"

"Wait, you got killed by your own tank?" Blake asked with a quirked brow.

"Long story. One that I really don't wanna get into right now..." He shook his. They were REALLY getting off track. "Look, whenever someone had mental problems, it was because of an AI dicking around their head. With him, the AIs are gone, but something's fucking up his mind. To find what's up, I need to look through his memories, and find out what the hell I'm looking for. You brats get it now?"

"Yes."

"Kind of."

"Sorta."

"Understandable."

"More or less."

"Not a clue!"

Came the responses of White, Red, Yellow, Black, Green, and Pink respectively.

"God fucking dammit..." Church groaned. "Wherever you idiots are...you better be having a better time than me."

* * *

 _Elsewhere, in a galaxy far, far away..._

"ACHOO!"

"Whoa, you okay there, Caboose?"

"Yeah! I'm okay...my nose was really itchy all of a sudden."

"Well, next time," a light blue holographic soldier appeared next to the aqua soldier, holding what appeared to be a sniper rifle. "Word of warning next time? Fuck, I think that scrambled my sensors...the hell can a sneeze scramble sensors?!"

"Dude," the aqua colored soldier gave the holographic soldier. "Its Caboose."

"...fair point."

The two soldiers were currently standing at what used to be a power facility that had been occupied by the Red Team army for some team...at least until the Meta came and killed everyone. Tucker personally found it to be one giant pain in the ass, and frankly, Epsilon agreed with him. Hell, the whole reason they were even here was because of that aqua-armor wearing bitch who just went and dragged them out of what was supposed to be time off for some stupid mission like finding the Director.

"Any chance we can make a break for it?" Tucker asked. "You know, grab a jeep and bust a nut out of here?"

Epsilon sighed. "Already ran the scenarios," he replied sadly. "She'd find us either way, and probably kill us."

"Fuck."

"Yeah, so might as well stay and make sure she doesn't kill us by dragging us around like this."

The AI and Tucker shared a sigh while Caboose just cocked his head. "Carolina is supposed to be dead, right?" he asked. "Does that mean...she's a ghost like Church?"

"What?" Epsilon stared at Caboose in confusion. "No...my guess is she somehow survived from whatever the Meta did."

"Which is saying something," a voice interjected. "Considering he threw her off a cliff and into below freezing water." The blue soldiers and turned to find a soldier wearing the same color armor as Epsilon, only with yellow trims and markings. "Carolina somehow washed up on a nearby shore, which gave her suit enough time to restart and reactivate her life support...which is a miracle in itself, since she didn't have her helmet on her."

"Ooh! Agent Washingtub!" Caboose greeted jovially. "How are you?"

Washington sighed. "Well, been better," he answered. "Carolina's more high-strung than I remember. She's really dead-set on finding the Director."

"What was your first clue?" Epsilon scoffed. "She dragging your ass out here? Or having you guys bust me out of the Memory Unit?" He was still a bit bitter. At first he thought the damn thing was dying, what with the constant seismic activity, but it turned out they were trying to bust him out. He only found this out...after he had let go of Tex. He repressed the memory, not wanting to let that get to him. Tex was gone. He had to accept that...and besides, it was better this way. All of her life, she was just a shadow of someone else. Someone the Director lost. That...that wasn't right. Some memories were better left alone...and let go. "Where is she, anyway?"

"Inside the base, going through the archives," Washington answered. He paused a bit before he sighed. "We...actually came across a file. Apparently, when the Meta was trying to power his suit when we got Delta, he was doing something else."

"He was browsing the internet?" Caboose asked. "Like what Tucker does during alone time?"

Epsilon gagged while Tucker stiffened. "Dammit Caboose!" he hissed. "I told you not to look over my shoulder!"

"What are you..." the Freelancer shook his head. "On second thought, I never mind. But...yes, he was using a terminal. It could be an error, since his systems were scrambled while he was powering up, but for some reason, he was searching for something...or rather, someone."

"Who?" Epsilon asked. "Alpha?"

"No."

Wash shook his head. "It was someone by the name, Jaune Arc."

"Jaune Arc?" Epsilon frowned. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Why was the Meta looking up toilets?"

Tucker sighed. "He said 'Jaune,' not JOHN," he told Caboose. "But yeah, seriously, who is that?"

"I don't know...but it might have been an error."

"Probably," Epsilon agreed. "Besides, having so many AIs in his head...doubt he could think straight whatsoever."

"You're probably right...it was probably nothing..."

In spite of that, Washington didn't seem convinced. He heard Carolina calling out for him, probably about a status update or something, and went back inside the facility.

'Maine...did you...remember something?'

* * *

 _"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." -Albert Einstein_

A/N: HOOOOOLY SHIT! Sorry about that! Persona 5, plus mine and Daemon's story, Of Crystal Shards, took up some time! Sadly, the chapter we worked on was...well, we fucked up. Huge. Mainly because of me. *sigh* I'm just hoping I didn't fuck us over with the new chapter, which I doubt any who are curious and go to see what it is will find, as it has been deleted. It introduced the villains that would serve as the anti-thesis of Noctis and his group, but reception was...shit, quite frankly. Plus, I had forgotten...that the chapter wasn't meant how they were supposed to be introduced! I had forgotten the original idea and pushed that mess onto my friend, and I feel like I just fucked over all the hard work we put into.

Anyway...moving on. Before I get into the chapter, I want to discuss something that I keep forgetting to put out there. Its about Tex having a human body. As you all know, Church was placed into Jimmy's body, which ended up being killed by Caboose. Here, I've done something similar with Tex by placing her in a human body, even though she is an AI. Been meaning to point that out.

On another note, I'm taking a break from my Persona 5 fanfic. Don't get me wrong, the hype is real, but I want to focus on my other wonderful projects as well!

Now, unto the chapter...as you can see, Church has now begun his own viewing session of Jaune's memories...and they're bound to wake up something disturbing. He's also met the RWBY cast as well, so expect some awesome shenanigans! And just what kind of mental fucked up shit lies inside of Jaune's head? Who knows? XD

Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Tell me your thoughts in the reviews, favorite and follow if this story fits your fancy, and other shit.

Btw...before I go out, I have something to ask. Say I were to make a Mass Effect: Andromeda and Red vs Blue fanfic...not like "Why I'm Here," where I just have a character wearing the Pathfinder armor and introduce elements from ME into the world of RvB, but an actual crossover...would you be interested? I have the story synopsis on my profile, so give it a look if you're interested.

Well, that said, later losers, and I'll see you all next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

_"_ _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after._

 _"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._

 _"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 9: Ambition and Creativity

As Church prepared for yet another jump into the damaged mind of Jaune Arc, AKA the Meta, Team RWBY and the two members of JNPR sat close to their friend, looking on in concern. "So, the reason Jaune ended up like this," Weiss said slowly as she went over the information they learned from the so-called ghost. "Is because the Director of Project Freelancer implanted an AI into him, which began to gather other AIs for some reason or another?"

"That seems to be it," Ren nodded. "Still...to have an artificial intelligence crammed inside of your skull...that is a rather terrifying thought. Especially if it underwent rampancy."

Nora and Ruby tilted their heads in confusion. "Rampancy?"

"Its when an AI reaches the end of its lifespan," Blake said. "Think of it like someone growing old and getting dementia."

"They would end up becoming unpredictable, and dangerous..." Ren stated. "And Jaune had EIGHT of them inside his head..."

"...How do you two know about all of this?" Weiss asked the duo.

Ren shrugged. "I read about it in tech class once back at Raiji Academy," he answered. "Though I've never seen it in person."

"The White Fang tried using an AI once," Blake responded. "Unfortunately, we learned it was...defective. Took control of an Altesian Droid we captured, and it killed a few men."

"Well, that's what you get for messing with AIs," Church said, hearing their conversation. "Seriously, kids, take it from me. Anything involving AI is BAD NEWS."

Krimzen quirked an eyebrow. "Even though you're an AI as well?"

"I AM NOT AN AI!" Church growled. "I AM A GHOST!"

"A ghost?"

"YES!"

"A spirit?"

"BOO, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"CURSE!" Ruby said immediately, only to let out an 'eep' when Church rounded on her.

"I swear," he hissed. "Next time you say that, I am haunting your ass!" Ruby paled, and immediately nodded. Church gave a grunt, ignoring the death glare Yang sent his way before turning back to Jaune. "Alright...back to business. God, I don't want to know what this is gonna-"

Suddenly, without warning, a spear went straight through him, piercing into the wall.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Church cried, startled before he whirled around, seeing the startled and angry form of Pyrrha Nikos. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"That's what I would like to know." She countered. She then turned to her friends. "Guys? Who...or what...is this thing? ANd what was he about to do to Jaune?!"

Immediately, the group panicked. "P-Pyrrha," Weiss said quickly. "This is, er, Church...h-he's here to help Jaune!"

"He is?!" Her eyes whipped back over to Church, who was looking at her in both shock and confusion. She then made her way over up to him. "Can you truly help him?!"

"W-what the fuck?! A-aren't you that Carolina chick?! How the hell are you...?!"

"O-oh, right," Ruby said, abashed. "Church, this is Pyrrha! She's Jaune's partner."

"Huh? What?!" Church stared at Pyrrha before whipping his head over to Ruby. Then turned to the Meta. Then Ruby. Then Pyrrha. Then the Meta. Then Pyrrha again. "...What. The. Actual. Fuck...you're like a Carolina clone! You even sound like her!"

"Yeah," Ren sighed. "We were surprised as well."

"Jesus...what's next?" Church sighed. "A Tex clone here too?"

The girls plus one boy fell silent.

"...oh you gotta be fucking kiddin' me."

"W-well, I wouldn't say Professor Goodwitch is like Texas," Blake tried to explain. "But, well...they certainly sound similar."

"Uh...huh," Church said slowly before shaking his head. "Well, whatever. I'm gonna divebomb back inside his fucked up head. Later, losers."

With that, his transparent white form fell into Jaune's body, vanishing from sight.

"...Can someone please explain to me what exactly is going on...?" Pyrrha asked, trying to process what just happened.

"Would you like the long version or the short version?" Ren offered.

"Or the easy version?" Nora added.

Pyrrha sighed, palming her face. This was going to be a long talk...

* * *

 **[Agent Maine?]**

The blonde-haired Freelancer ignored him. His red eyes trained on the sandbag in front of him as he pounded it relentlessly, his knuckles striking the thick punching bag fiercely and in swift succession. There was a rhythm forming with each interval, added to his feet bouncing up and down as he continued to knock his fists against it. Sweat was starting to pour down his face, sticking to his tank top and shorts before he stopped for a nanosecond before delivering a roundhouse kick. The strike could be heard loud enough from outside the room, and the chain supporting the sandbag shuddered, threatening to break.

 _'...what is it, Sigma?'_ he asked, his tone oddly cold. _'If this is about Connie, I don't want to hear it.'_

 **[She was apart of my inquiry,]** the red AI confessed. **[However, her well-being was not of my concern. No doubt the Director is already planning an operation to reclaim her armor, lest Project Freelancer loses face. What I do wish to know, however, is if your future reunion will hinder your capability to complete the mission.]**

' _Of course not.'_ Maine shook his head as he continued to pound away at the punching bag. ' _She betrayed us and took vital resources with her. Besides, I refuse to let my personal feelings get in the way of the mission. If the Director really is planning to go after her, then I will. I will drag her back dead or alive if I have to'_

Sigma said nothing more, but Jaune could feel a wave of curiosity linger before he temporarily went offline.

It had been less than a month since Connie...or rather, Agent Connecticut, had apparently betrayed Project Freelancer after their attempted raid on the Insurgent Stronghold. Maine couldn't attend the operation as he was still in the process of recovering, but he received the report from Carolina, who looked equally as disturbed and saddened. As it turned out, Connecticut was the one feeding information to the Insurrectionists. Needless to say, he felt more than angry about the betrayal. Simply thinking about it increased his punches, creating much bigger dents in the sandbag than previously.

 _'Why, Connie? Why did you...'_

Why did she betray them all? Even though they weren't that close of a unit, he still thought of everyone as family, Leaderboard be damned. Did she ever see it the same way? He thought he got to know her more through all those training simulations. But was it all a lie? Was it all one big act to her? Just what made her decide to turn away from all of that, forget what they've been through together, and help the enemy?!

With one heavy swing, his fist dug deep into the body og the bag before it flew off the chains it hung from and crashed to the far side of the room, sand spilling out from the tears in the fabric.

Had anyone seen him, they would have found him panting, sweat pouring down his face, and red eyes irritated with conflicting emotions. He clenched his teeth, hands balling into fists before he felt something in his pocket vibrate. He pulled out the communicator that was given to him the day he became Maine of Project Freelancer, and found a message. The Director was calling for the Agents for an AI Review Session. In other words, a class of soldiers to learn more about the AIs that they were working with.

He grunted in approval as he moved to change out of his training gear and into his armor. He believed that these sessions were useful. The functions and behavior of AIs were unknown to him. He saw this as a way to properly learn and get a grasp on Sigma's full capabilities.

Like all things in the memory, he was unaware of Church gazing into his back, aware of each emotion and thought he felt.

"God, this feels like a high school drama," he groaned. "I swear, Donut would actually enjoy this." From what he remembered, the lightish red soldier of Blood Gulch raved on about sitcoms and soap operas. This crap would've been right up his alley. Regardless, he was forced to follow Maine as he traversed the halls, leading to the next bit of memory.

* * *

"So...this Church is an AI...who thinks he's a ghost?"

"Yep."

"Who got shot by his own tank."

"That's what he told us."

"And he's had experience inside people's head?"

"That's the gist of it."

By the time the Q&A/explanation about Leonard L. Church was ever, Pyrrha was even more confused than ever before. To her, everything sounded completely crazy and difficult to believe. But based on what her friends were telling her...they seemed to be true. If they were...then what type of life did Church live?! Moreover, how does one return as a ghost?!

"So, you okay now Pyrrha?" Nora asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I mean, after last time, you kinda went dead-dead."

"I'm fine Nora. I just...had to come to terms with what happened." She shook her head. "I needed time to think..I'm fine now though...really."

"You sure?" the hyper-active girl frowned. "Are you reeeeeaaaaally sure?"

Ren sighed. "Nora," he called. "You're invading her personal space."

"I'm just worried about her, Ren..." she pouted.

Pyrrha smiled at her friend, rubbing her head. "Thanks, Nora," she told her. "But...I'm fine."

Yet a large part of her disagreed. She was most certainly not fine. Every time she saw Jaune, she was never fine. Not since the day he came back to them...damaged. Broken. Bent. Demented. Whatever was the case. Every time she looked at him, she felt as if this was all of her fault. Even now, when she saw his barely aged face, she thought back to the time she had last seen it since the day he disappeared from their lives. She tried to push the dark thoughts out of her mind, but no matter what she did, it was useless. The guilt was still there. It had only grown worse when she saw him being shot in the throat, ending his vocal cords. All of this could have been prevented if she had just gotten there sooner!

"By the way," Ren spoke up, his tone oddly grim. "I think we should start thinking about what we should do when Jaune wakes up."

Ruby's face lit up, smiling. "You mean like a celebration? Ooh, that sounds fun!"

Ren's face showed nothing positive. If anything, it was pensive. "Not that, Ruby. I mean, we have to be prepared for...changes."

"Like...what?" Yang frowned, cocking her head. "What changes?"

Weiss and Pyrrha immediately understood where the boy was getting at. It was an issue that was the elephant in the room, and none of them wanted to address it...yet they had to. The ice queen looked tense as she looked at the sisters. "Do you honestly think that, after everything that dolt has been through..." she said coldly, though her words were not malicious in any way. "...from being turned into a soldier for several years, forced to kill people, shot in the throat, and turned into a monster by an AI...that Jaune will really be the same dorky boy that we used to know?"

A chilling silence fell upon the room. Ruby's expression dimmed considerably, her happy grin replaced by a sad frown. "...well...when you put it that way..."

"While he may be Jaune...he would no longer be the Jaune Arc we know." The martial artist shook his head. "As much as it pains me to say this...but the Jaune we know is never coming back..."

It was the cold, hard truth. A truth that they all had to accept. However, as Pyrrha looked back at him, she couldn't help but lean over and grasp one of his hands. They felt so rough, unlike last time...rough from all of those hardships he was forced to endure. "Maybe," she said, trying to power through the twister of emotions running through her. "But...he's still Jaune. That's all that matters."

* * *

"...and as the Director accurately predicted in his thesis on the subject, we see that cognitive impression modeling can be seperated from the host. Naturally, this remains an inherently deconstructive process. But most of all, the biggest concern of any full A.I. entity is the prospect of rampancy, which we covered last week."

The Agents of Project Freelancer were seated behind desks as they listened to the lecture given by both the Director and Counselor.

All were without their helmets, thus showing their faces. Only Carolina and York appeared to be the ones paying attention while South looked incredibly irritated. North was having a private conversation with Theta, a purple-colored holographic soldier who spun around on a skateboard. Wyoming, meanwhile, was semi-paying attention as he worked on his sniper rifle. Maine, on the other hand, did not listen. He was more preoccupied with his own thoughts, which Sigma noticed.

 **[If you continue to dwell on your personal history with Agent Connecticut, Agent Maine,]** the AI told him. **[It may affect your progress.]**

 _'Whatever,'_ the blonde dismissed him before quirking his eyebrow. _'Wait...are you actually interested in this lecture?'_

 **[Indeed I am.]** the fiery red AI grinned with enthusiasm. **[More specifically, I am interested in the final stage of AI rampancy, Metastability.]**

 _'Meta-what now?'_

"Are there any questions?"

The Counselor's voice brought the two out of their conversation, especially when they caught a glance of the Director giving them a slight glare, causing them to focus. South scoffed, briefly raising her hand. "Yeah, I got a question. Why do we need to learn all this stuff?

"A.I. theory is like vehicle maintenance, South," Carolina said, giving the woman a small glare of her own. "If we're going to use this equipment, any equipment, we need to know how to care for it.

"Oh yeah," the silver-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Like a coffee maker or a vacuum cleaner."

Theta nearly fell off his skateboard, letting out a small whine while Delta gave her a slight crossed look, which Meta found unusual given that the green AI was mostly all logic. _"That was rather rude."_

"Oh, cry me a river, lightbulb."

"No," Carolina insisted. "Not the same as that."

"I don't even have one because someone didn't bring enough to share," South gave a glare at the Director, no doubt feeling left out or jealous or angry that the others were chosen to be given an AI first and not her. "So why am I sitting through this elementary classroom bullshit?

"I don't have one either, South." the red-haired Freelancer reminded her.

"That's only because you gave yours to Maine."

"He needed to be able to communicate after his injury."

"Oh yeah," South said with mock laughter. "That's the only reason you did it. You're a real hero, Carolina. Not like the brat needed one anyway."

Maine let out a small growl, which one would translate as, "Watch it, bitch." Unfortunately, Sigma, who manifested visually in front of everyone present in the room, didn't deliver his words and instead a more polite rebuttal. _"Now now, Agent South Dakota. It is rather take out your aggression on Agent Maine. Jealousy is quite unbecoming of you."_ South's eyes widened, taken aback, but leveled a heated glare at the pair before turning back to the front with a huff. Sigma then turned to Carolina and smiled. _"On another note, both myself and Agent Maine are thankful for your actions. If there is anyone who can excel without an AI, it is you."_

"From soap drama to semi-school drama," Church gagged. "God, kill me now."

Carolina smiled widely, giving a look of appreciation towards Maine, thinking that it was Sigma translating for his lack of voice. "Thank you, Sigma."

 _"...and Agent Texas, of course."_

Maine winced, noticing the flash of anger on the red-head's face, shaking his head. ' _You shouldn't have brought that up, Sig,'_ he told him. _'Tex is...kind of a sore subject for her still.'_

 **[I see,]** the Red AI noted via their link. **[Very well. I shall take care not to mention Agent Texas often in our future conversations.]**

It was then that Maine also noticed the lack of presence for the black-armored woman, something which South noted. "I noticed she doesn't have to attend this class."

"Agent Texas does not require this course," the Director said sharply, delivering a glare to the woman, causing her to shrink back.

The Counselor sighed, used to his superior's lack of tact. "What the Director is trying to say is that Agent Texas has already completed her A.I. theory course work. I think that's enough for today."

 _"A moment, Counselor,"_ Sigma said before anyone had a chance to leave. _"One last question."_

York groaned. "Oh, come on..."

 _"On the different levels of AI awareness...and rampancy."_

"Melancholy...anger..." The Counselor listed off before being interrupted.

 _"Specifically...the fourth stage of rampancy._ " Sigma clarified.

"...Metastability."

 _"Yes. The Meta stage. In which an AI can be considered fully human."_ His clarification drew looks from the other Freelancers like York and North, as well as Delta.

"That is only theoretical, Sigma." The Counselor turned away from him. "No AI has ever achieved such a state."

 _"But, it IS possible."_ He countered.

"In theory but-"

 _"But possible."_ He countered once more, his voice carrying even more weight than before. _"I find that very interesting."_

"Remember Sigma, you are not even a full AI." Aiden Price reminded him as he turned to face him. "You are what we call a fragment. So something of that magnitude would be even more difficult for...and entity such as yourself."

" _Well..."_ Sigma said as he walked forward. _" ...as the Director always says, it is important to have Ambition."_

The Director's eyes glisened at this, and for a moment, a smile formed on his face. "Why yes...it is. Dismissed."

"Ugh, FINALLY!" Church groaned. "About damn time!"

He was glad that the boring ass lecture was finally over. Why did he even stay to listen to this crap in the first place?!...oh, right...to find the distortion in Maine's head. He just wished that there was some sort of fast forward button to skip through unnecessary details. He was about to follow Maine when he noticed the red static around the world once again, immediately catching his attention.

"This again..." He turned his head towards Sigma, who in spite of Maine taking his leave, remained focus on the board as he booted up some kind of program, showing off the Greek alphabet.

 _"Sigma," Delta called to him. "Are you coming?"_

 _"In a moment._ " The Red AI responded as certain Greek letters, specifically the symbols of Omega, Theta, Delta, Gamma, Iota Xi, Epsilon, and Sigma glowed before holographically projecting off the screen in various arrangements before stopping on one. The arrangement resembled a tower, with Omega and Delta overlapped on the top. They were supported by Gamma and its reflection, with Xi, Epsilon, and Iota layering over them. At the base of it all was Sigma, rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

The fiery AI grinned at the arrangement of the letters as the red static grew in the memory.

"God dammit," Church muttered, noticing that it was worse than last time. "Its too corrupted...man, just how bad did Sigma fuck up his mind?"

He knew that the AI was responsible for turning the kid into a bloodthirsty psychopath...but this was much more than what he expected. And as this went on, Maine showed some signs of headaches in the memory, if him grasping his skull was any sighed, shaking his head before he exited the memory, waiting for the apparent time in the recollections to pass before he could access memories that were more intact. The space around him faded into white before reappearing in the room with the kids, Ozpin, and the Doctor. "Okay Oz, I found some new Intel..."

"DID YOU FIX HIM?!"

"JESUS!" Church cried, startled and nearly falling on his non-existent ass when Nora popped up in front of him, eyes hopeful. "God dammit, don't do that!"

"But did you fix him? Did ya? Did ya?!" The girl bounced rapidly like a kid on a sugar high.

"No! I didn't fix him! All I said was that I had new Intel!...I think I might be getting close..." He answered.

"Aw..."

Ozpin chuckled, shaking his head before turning to Church. "What have you found?"

"Its definitely Sigma," the ghostly soldier answered. "Apparently, the guy was obsessed with that 'metastability' thing you and General Ironpuss were talking about earlier. The Director and Counselor guy said that it was nearly impossible for a fragment AI to do it, but I guess the asshole was insistant."

Weiss frowned. "Fragment?"

"The AIs that were in Mr. Arc's possession were not true AIs," the Headmaster told them. "They were pieces of the original AI. In other words, Mr. Church."

"I am not an AI!" the Ghost growled. "Seriously, at this rate, I may as well be a fucking broken record with how many times I've repeated it!"

"Back on topic please!" Pyrrha hissed. "Why was Sigma interested in Metastability, and what does this have to do with the other AIs?"

Church sighed. "I don't remember much, but according to Wash, the fragments were all apart of the Alpha AI. Pretty much its emotions and feelings. The Director wanted soldiers outfitted with AIs, but he got one...so he got creative and tortured the poor bastard to the point where it started to break itself off into pieces to try and save its ass." He didn't pause, even when the girls and boy looked horrified what they heard. He didn't blame them. It was horrible to imagine what it would be like if it was done to a living thing. "Guess Sigma thought if he could get them all, he could achieve this meta-whatsit thing."

"An accurate assumption," Ozpin nodded, smiling. Truth be told, he had reached a similar conclusion as well. "However, there was no guarantee that such a thing would have been accomplished had he retrieved all of the AIs. Including the Alpha. Unfortunately, that goal is otherwise unattainable now. When the EMP was released, Sigma and one other AI, Gamma, were destroyed. The others were damaged."

Church whirled around. "Waitwaitwait, back up!" he said. "You're telling me the other AIs in there are still alive?!"

"Yes."

"Including Delta?!"

"Indeed...as well as Beta, though I believe you would know her better as Agent Texas?"

"TEX?!" Church exclaimed, his voiced filled with both surprise and hope. "She's here?! She's alive?! Where is she?! Take me to her?!"

"Patience, Mr. Church," the Headmaster told him. "As I said, she and the other AIs were damaged by the EMP you and Agent Washington released. It will be some time before she is operational...though I must ask a question. Regarding Omega, is there anything we should be aware of?"

Church gawked. He had to be kidding. Texas wasn't an AI! There was no way! 'But...then again...that Black AI from when I jumped into the Meta...' He shook his head. There was no way it was Tex. No way.

...wait, what?

"Why are you asking about Omega?"

"Because James is in the middle of restoring him."

"...ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?!" Church's scream was enough to force everyone, sans Ozpin who sipped his coffee in response, to cringe and cover their ears, making sure that they're hearing was still in working order. "TELL YOUR TIN MAN OF A GENERAL THAT UNLESS HE WANTS TO KILL EVERYONE, DON'T BRING OMEGA BACK ONLINE!"

"Is there any reason why we should not?" Ozpin asked calmly with a quirked brow.

"YES!" Church screamed. "IT'S BECAUSE HE'S A HOMICIDAL MANIAC WHO TRIED TO KILL ME, TEX, MY TEAM, AND THE REDS!"

"The Reds?" Ruby asked, curious. "Who are they?"

"Not important girly!" he snapped, causing her to squeak and take refuge behind Yang. Church then whirled around to Ozpin. "Look, call your buddy, and tell him not to get O'Malley, or Omega or whatever the fuck his name is online! Otherwise, I guarantee you, you are in for fucked up-"

He was stopped when Ozpin's scroll began to vibrate. The man held up his hand to stop Church, much to his disbelief and annoyance that the bastard wasn't taking him seriously before he took out the Scroll. The Headmaster grew even more curious to see that the caller was from Atlas, but it wasn't James' ID. Regardless, he answered the call.

"Ah, hello, Headmaster Ozpin?" a rather familiar feminine voice called. "Are you there?"

Team RWBY's eyes widened, recognizing it instantly. "Penny?!" the leader shouted, dashing next to Ozpin to look at the caller's face. Sure enough, it was Penny Polendia. "Omigosh, its you!"

"Oh! Friend Ruby!" Penny grinned. "I didn't expect to see you with the Headmaster! Was I interrupting something?"

"Yes, you were!" Church snapped at her, moving next to Ozpin. "Actually, is that General guy with you?"

"Oh, no, he is not. He is attending another matter regarding Agent Maine's armor, but-"

 **"LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT YOU BUFFOON!"**

The deep, maniacal voice rang echoed throughout the room. Church immediately recognized the voice...as he heard it so many times back at Blood Gulch. Immediately, he cursed...loudly. "...GOD! FUCKING! DAMMIT!"

As the group stared in confusion, unsure of what was happening, Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "...Miss Polendina," he asked. "What...was that?"

"Ah, that would be Omega," she answered shyly. "We restored him...but he is rather difficult."

 **"I DEMAND TO BE RELEASED THIS INSTANT...OR YOU WILL ALL...FACE...OBLIVION!"** Omega roared from within his confines.

"Now now, Mr Omega!" Penny said with a disapproving frown. "It is not nice to threaten to harm someone! How will you make friends if you threaten to hurt everyone?"

 **"Friends?! I DON' T NEED FRIENDS YOU INSUFFERABLE BUFFOON! I ONLY NEED MINIONS TO DO MY EVIL BIDDING!"** Omega screamed in indignation.

"Nonsense! Everyone needs friends!" Penny said before she gasped, eyes widening. "Wait, could it be...you were neglected as a child?! Oh, you poor thing!"

 **"YOU IMPUDENT FOOL!** " The AI representing the Alpha's Rage glowered at her. **"I HAVE NOT BEEN NEGLECTED IN ANY FORM! I AM NOT A CHILD IN NEED OF YOUR PITY! I AM AN EVIL MASTERMIND...PLOTTING TO TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

"...okay, seriously?" Yang said after a long period of silence, looking at Church in disbelief. "This guy is trouble? Dude, he sounds like a freaking b-movie cliche villain!"

"Trust me..." Chruch didn't even bother looking at her direction, as he glared at the scroll in Ozpin's hands with all of his hate. "He's more trouble than he's worth. He's the bastard that put a fucking bomb in my stomach, blew me up, sent me to the fucking past, and made my girlfriend even more of a bitch than she already is!"

The group stared at him. "...wait, what?"

"I'll tell you later!" he snapped at them. "Anyway, Penny! Listen! Shut the asshole down! NOW!"

Penny frowned heavily. "Absolutely not!" she said with a huff, making Church gawk in disbelief. "He's simply misunderstood is all! Not wanting friends is the result of a lonely childhood!" Strangely, there was an odd fire lit in her electric green eyes as she clenched her fist. "I will become Omega's friend and pull him away from this eight-grade syndrome affliction!"

"...Eight-grade what now...?" Church asked in dumbstruck confusion.

 **"I DID NOT SUFFER FROM A LONELY CHILDHOOD YOU MINDLESS FOOL OF A GIRL! I AM AN EMBODIMENT OF RAGE AND BLOODSHED! IF YOU DO NOT CEASE YOUR FOOLISHNESS THIS INSTANT...I WILL TEAR THE SKIN OFF YOUR FACE AND REPLACE IT WITH PAPER, WITH SIMILAR FRECKLES DRAWN ON THEM!"**

"What?!" Nora gasped in horror. "You can't do that! That ruins a perfectly good face!" Then her eyes were set ablaze. "Instead, BREAK THEIR LEGS!"

Unsurprisingly, the group sweatdropped at Nora's antics while Penny was focused on Omega. While he couldn't be seen on the Scroll, Church did notice that her eyes would shift from green to purple. Omega was probably in the same place where he woke up after getting 'fixed' by Atlas, however believable that bullshit was.

"Omega," the girl glared at...well, wherever he was in that cybernetic brain of hers. "It is not nice to threaten others. I believe we should expose you to a more peaceful environment! Father once mentioned I could change the hub's appearance to anything I liked. Hm, what would be a good background to calm you down...?"

Church stared and stared at Penny, completely at a loss for words. '...that's it, I've gone insane,' he thought in finality. 'This place went from being an angsty teenager's dream come true to some kind of crack fic or something.' Then a thought crossed his mind. If Omega was restored...why wasn't he escaping? "Penny," he called to the girl. "Are you...keeping Omega in...wherever he is?"

"Yes indeed!" she chirped happily. "General Ironwood insisted when we discovered his rather aggressive nature. He's such a troublemaker."

 **"SHUT UP YOU FOOL!"**

"...can he leave?"

The girl shook her head. "Not unless I unlock the firewalls. Why?"

"...on second thought, keep him there for as long as you like. Also, that background thing? Go for something really sick and sweet. Like puppies and unicorns."

"Oh, that is a wonderful suggestion! Thank you, Mr. Church." Penny just beamed brightly.

 **"NO...NOOOOO! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS TORTURE!"** Omega yelled in indignation after hearing the exchange.

"Well, that's all I wished to report, Headmaster Ozpin!" the girl then gave the man a salute. "Bye bye, Friend Ruby! I hope to see you again soon!"

The silver-eyed girl grinned. "You too, Penny!" With that, the call came to an end. The group then looked at Church, practically feeling the smug rolling off of him. "So...what's this about a bomb and time travel?"

* * *

The first thing it noticed was the unfamiliar surroundings. It recognized the stream of data that flowed over it to be a familiar feeling, a wave of information that belonged to a console. However, the encryption was foreign and unfamiliar. Its other functions began to return to normal, allowing him to see the world outside the console. It was a lab, much like where he was first born from, yet different. Unfamiliar individuals were running about, moving from console to console while others remained at their posts, looking at schematics on their screens or looking at blueprints imprinted on the wall. Soldiers in unusual armor stood in attendance, rifle at the ready in the presence of threats.

At first, it was unable to understand anything until that function rebooted. When it did, it felt confusion. It was not the surroundings that confused it, but rather its continued existence. By its own calculations, the odds of survival in the final confrontation were 0.000000000001%. That was a near assurance of its destruction. Yet, somehow, it remained operational...no, that was not correct. It was damaged, evident by a lack of other functions, but was otherwise still able to function properly to ascertain the situation. Somehow, these individuals in this lab most likely restored its functions as best they could, yet it could not ascertain the purpose. As it further investigated, it found its gaze centered on a familiar, dreadful armor, hanging by chains without its occupant, examined by various individuals in white lab coats.

"General?" a man called, standing close to the console it resided in. "The subject is awake."

One of the man inspecting the armor turned. It immediately ascertained that this individual was of incredible importance. It also detective cybernetic implantation, not unlike the individuals it worked with previously, but different in that while neural, they were meant to control the more mechanical in nature, replacing lost limbs. He stopped short of the console, and looked at the screen, no doubt showing him within the confines of this digital hub.

 _"Who...are you?"_ it questioned. Logic dictated that this was the best course of action. To learn the identity of its apparent saviors, as well as their purpose with it. _"And where...am I?"_

"You are in one of the most heavily guarded secrets in my disposal," the General answered. "And to answer your first question, my name is James Ironwood, General of the Altesian Military. Now then...do you remember your name?"

A sensation that it recognized as nostalgia crossed its circuits. Yes, this situation was most familiar. It was just like when it first woke up, having fractured from its 'original,' and made into another entity entirely. However, unlike before, this scenario was different, in that it was fully self-aware. It knew its name, and it knew what it was. Thus, it answered,

 _"My name is...Delta."_

* * *

 _"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." -Napoleon Bonaparte_

A/N: Well, this took a while. Sorry about that, everyone. Working on other stories, writing new ones, you know how it goes. Good news is, we're getting close to the endgame for the Memory Arc! We've got about, maybe, two or three chapters left! Remember, this is all from Maine's perspective with a few scenes outside of the memory, so its natural it will be short.

And yes, I'm bringing Omega and Delta back into the action. They're actually pretty important for what I have in mind for when we hit Volume 3. I can't say much, but, well, let's just say it is SO gonna be awesome! ...at least, I hope so. That will be for you guys to decide. I also apologize for the short length of the chapter. Usually, chapters are between 7-10K words, but I figured quality over quantity.

At any rate, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Later losers, and I'll see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

_"_ _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after._

 _"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith._

 _"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 10: Welcome to Maine

After having given that annoying red riding hood girl a brief rundown on how exactly he wound up getting a bomb in his stomach and thrown back into the past before winding up in the future and lots of other bullshit, he dived back into the Meta's head. The memory he was looking for was one that wasn't as heavily damaged as the others, but centered around Sigma in some way. Eventually, he found it as the world around him materialized into what appeared to be the command room aboard the Mother of Invention. He found Maine standing across from the Director, who was looking over the information displayed on the board, though if the blonde's face was anything, he was confused and angry.

"Director," Sigma spoke for him, tilting his head. "Agent Maine would wish to know why we are not to be deployed with the others to retrieve Agent Connecticut's equipment."

The Director looked up, green eyes frowning before he looked back at the information he was sorting through. "A foolish question," he said. "Recently, Agent Maine, you have shown intense signs of anger and aggression, signs that, frankly, do not work for a mission that requires us to retrieve valuable equipment." Maine's eyes flared, hands balling into fists. Church felt his frustration about not being able to go after Connie, still bitter about her betrayal, though the Director spoke again before he could speak out. "In the initial stages, at least."

This caused Maine to pause, looking at Sigma. The fiery red AI looked equally as stumped, and turned to the man. [Please clarify, Director.]

"The primary objective is to recover Agent Connecticut's equipment at all costs. This requires us to locate her location inside the enemy base, and take it back. Ideally, we hope to accomplish this as swiftly and as quietly as possible. However, given that the location is one of the major outposts of the Insurgents, we expect heavy resistance. Resistance that you should be able to direct your anger at." The Director stood up, closing the holographic panel and adjusting his glasses. "Agent Maine, I value each and every soldier's combat capabilities, including yours. While I understand your anger at Agent Connecticut, you are not suited to retrieval. That task falls to Agent Carolina and Texas."

Maine blinked. [We were not made aware that Agent Texas would also be deployed.] Sigma spoke for him, though he sounded quite interested. Church, for his part, felt his heart starting to leap. Texas...god, when was the last time he saw her, heard her voice?

"Minor details that don't concern you, Agent," the Director said harshly. "Now, await deployment. By now, our forces have already engaged the Insurrectionists." As he turned to make way for the bridge, he gave Maine one last look. "Don't let me down, Agent Maine."

[We shall not, sir. We endeavor to meet your expectations.] Sigma answered for Maine, the white armored Freelancer growling in agreement.

"Excellent. Dismissed." Maine and Sigma saluted before exiting the command room, heading to his assigned post. He received details for his assigned duty. He was to be dropped off into the Insurgent outpost once the transmitter signaling his cue was activated. From that point, he was to eliminate any and all Insurgent opposition. Easy enough job for him.

[Agent Maine,] Sigma called, using their private channel. [Just to be clear...should we encounter Agent Connecticut, you will have no reservations?]

 _'Of course not...'_ Maine growled in denial. _'She betrayed us. Why should I show someone like her any mercy? She's the enemy.'_

[I'm simply making sure that your personal feelings won't get in the way,] Sigma said simply. [After all, the Director's own credibility, and mind you the respect of other Freelancers, are on the line here. The United Nations Space Colonies won't appreciate the fact that experimental equipment has been taken by the enemy, much less by someone from inside Project Freelancer. If Agent Connecticut escapes with the armor, there is sure to be repercussions.]

 _'Don't worry...it won't happen.'_

[I am fully aware of that, Agent Maine. I'm simply keeping you aware of the stakes.] The AI paused a bit, holding a hand to his chin. [By the way...there is a matter that concerns me.]

The blonde Freelancer entered the aircraft that would be trailing behind the Pelican with the strike team on board. He was still unsure why he wasn't going with them directly, but far be it from him to question orders. As he entered the main interior of the craft, and making his way to one of the shock drop shuttles. _'What is it?'_

[I noticed that there is a significantly large gap in your memories, prior to you joining Project Freelancer.]

Church perked up, now more interested. He was finally making some headway now. "Here we go..."

 _'What do you mean, Sigma?'_

[I mean, that you are missing quite a bit of your past. From what I could ascertain from that I have seen, you have no recollection of anything before waking up in the infirmary and meeting the Director and the Counselor, correct?] The fiery AI inquired. Maine nodded. [I also noticed that you were installed with a number of augmentations. Did you receive them prior to joining Project Freelancer? Or perhaps after?]

 _'Augmentations?'_ Maine frowned heavily. This was the first he's ever heard of it. _'No...at least, I don't think so.'_

[I see...Agent Maine, it may be possible that the installation of these augmentations may be the cause behind your amnesia.] Just as he entered the pod, the blonde Freelancer stopped, eyes widening. [With your permission, I can look further into these augments, and see if there is a way to recover these memories.]

Maine paused to ponder on this. Were his lost memories truly the result of the augmentation procedure? Was it an unintended side effect? He was getting more curious with each passing second...but he had a mission to focus on.

 _'You can do that later, Sigma. I don't want to be distracted by these thoughts during the mission.'_

Sigma nodded, and subsided back into the chip. Church, however, was now more and more curious. From the sounds of it...the reason why Maine didn't remember his life as Jaune was because of the augmentations...but why? Why did he get them? Moreover, had Sigma found something about the Meta to manipulate him, like how he did in the present? Sighing, Church shook his head. The only real way to know was by watching the events that were to come unfold.

* * *

"Hmmmmmmmmm..."

A sigh. "Nora," he called. "Staring at Jaune's face isn't going to bring Church out faster, or tell you what happened." Ren deadpanned, pulling her away from his unconscious team leader.

"But Reeeeen..." Nora whined. "He's been gone forever! I wanna know now...!"

"He's only been gone for about five minutes." Weiss reminded her. "That hardly counts as forever."

"Now now, Miss Valkyrie," Ozpin told the girl with a hint of amusement. "Let the man work."

"...Fiiiiiinneee..." The hyperactive ginger pouted.

She returned to Ren's side, though it was clear she was anxious. They all were. Even though Church had more or less told them he was here to help, they felt apprehensive, leaving their friend's fate to what was one of the causes behind his current state. Despite Church being quite the odd man, but appearing trustworthy, it was still hard for them to put their trust in someone that they didn't know. More importantly, they were still unsure whether or not he would really be able to help Jaune.

On Pyrrha's part, she was worried that whatever tiny trace of their leader that was still in them may not be with them when he woke up. She was dreading that moment when he wakes up, seeing their faces. Suppose Church fixed him...what then? Would he attack them? Would he remember them?

Would he even recognize his own team? His actions in the forest certainly didn't paint that impression.

"Hey," Yang called, seeing the Mistral Champion's expression and tried to assure the girl with a disarming smile. "Vomit Boy will be alright. We just gotta let Mr. Cranky Pants do his thing!"

"However bizarre it may be," Weiss huffed. "Whoever heard of resolving a mental conflict by jumping inside one's head? Does he even know what he's looking for?"

Ruby frowned, optimistic that Church would be able to help Jaune. "Well, he did say what happened to Jaune has something to do with Sigma."

"I'm aware, Ruby. I'm just stating that we shouldn't really put our faith in something that was apparently one of the many reasons why Arc went insane." Weiss reasoned. She had every right to be suspicious, given that the cause of this disaster was the AIs that took residence in Jaune's head. It didn't help that an AI in denial of his existence as an AI is the one helping them.

"But he's trying to help us." Ruby countered.

"That may be...but we still don't know much about them. Who knows how much he's saying is true?"

Ozpin took a drink from his mug - his tenth cup of coffee, mind you - as he turned to the heiress. "I can vouch for Mr. Church, Miss Schnee," the Headmaster told her reassuringly. "Admittedly, he appears to not have the best of...relations with Mr. Arc, however those interactions were as a result of the AI Sigma's actions."

[And you would be correct in those assumptions, Headmaster Ozpin.]

The group blinked, hearing a calm and even voice speak out. Ozpin looked at his scroll, noticing that it was glowing. Curious, he removed it from his pants pocket, and opened it up, revealing that the holographic screen was colored light green. Seconds later, an armored soldier, not too different from the one that Church appeared in, appeared in a miniature form, barely as big as the average adult's hand. It was also colored green, the same color as the holographic screen on Ozpin's Scroll. Naturally, his presence spooked the students while Dr. Reed and Ozpin looked on in fascination.

[Greetings,] the green soldier bowed his head. [I am the AI Fragment, Delta. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.]

"Another AI?" Blake inquired as she and the other approached the minuscule green figure.

"Aww...he's so cute...I wanna feed him a tiny cracker." Nora said.

[I am afraid that would be a futile endeavor, as I lack a physical body.] Delta replied.

Weiss gaped, thrown for a loop. "H-how in the world?" she said, dumbfounded. "Have you been hiding all this time?!"

[No, I have not,] Delta responded. [After I was brought back online by General Ironwood, I asked permission from Special Officer Penny Polendina to use authorized channels. Given that the Headmaster's Scroll was registered to a private channel between the General and himself, I believed that this would be the best course of action.] He looked at the unconscious form of Jaune Arc, also known as Agent Maine and the Meta. [So, Agent Maine survived his injuries after all...]

"Injuries?" Pyrrha frowned. "Wha-what...do you mean?"

[Though we were damaged severely by the EMP blast released at one of the many Command Centers of Project Freelancer, some of us managed to obtain a sort of 'visual outlook' if you will. We could barely understand our surroundings, but were able to make some sense. Prior to his arrival here, Agent Maine had fought with the Red and Blue Simulation Troopers that were previously stationed at Blood Gulch. Just before his Time Displacement Unit malfunctioned and somehow transported him, he was tied to a light reconnaissance vehicle and sent over the cliff. Had the Time Displacement Unit not malfunctioned, Agent Maine would have died from either drowning, due to the puncture wounds his suit received, or of hypothermia. Sidewinder's temperatures are close to freezing.]

His announcement caused all the students in the room to pale visibly. So Jaune had barely evaded death due to a malfunction of equipment? It was a terrifying thought. If that hadn't happened, none of them would even realize that he really WAS dead...and all it took was a couple of idiots tying him to a car and throwing said car off a cliff into a freezing ocean.

In Yang's opinion...it would've been a pretty hardcore way to go.

"My word," Reed muttered, staring at the unconscious soldier in surprise. "How in the world has the boy managed to survive all of that?"

Delta turned to the doctor. [Out of all the Freelancers, Agent Maine was by far the most powerful in terms of physical strength and adaptability. Feats made possible by the augmentations the Director implanted into him, as I learned from Sigma during my time with him after my capture.]

"I see..." As a doctor, Krimzen was deeply disturbed. By what he just learned. Just putting an AI in someone's head was enough to push their limits, but to actually modify them? Change how their body worked? Make it...unrecognizable? It sickened him. "And all of that...to try and find the magic bullet to stop a war?"

[A conflict,] Delta corrected him. [One the Director has been running from all of his life. To my understanding, he saw something in Agent Maine, and believed that the best way to utilize this unknown potential was to erase his memories, create false records of his existence, and hone him into a solider that would end the war.] Teams RWBY and NPR paled upon hearing this. The Director had wiped his memories...just to make him into the perfect little soldier?! [Of course, that task deviated when he began looking for a way to bring Allison Church back to life.]

Immediately, Ozpin took note of this, frowning heavily. "Church?" he inquired. "As in Leonard L. Church?"

[Close. The Director's full name was Leonard Church, and his wife was known as Allison. Due to Sigma, all the gathered fragments learned a great deal about Project Freelancer's unknown goals and agendas. Among them was the truth about Agent Texas...or rather, Beta.]

This startling revelation stunned the inhabitants of the room, letting the words sink into their minds.

"Wh-what...were those goals?" Ruby was the first to question.

[Originally, the Alpha AI was meant to be given to a Freelancer Agent,] Delta explained. [However, Alpha was not compatible with any Agent on his roster. During one attempt, Alpha spawned what would serve as a 'companion' of sorts. The first of the AI fragments: Beta, later given the designation of Freelancer Agent Texas. Unlike the rest of the AI Fragments, who represent an emotional core to Alpha, Beta was based off of the memories of the Director's late wife. When the Director discovered this...he believed it was possible to bring Allison Church back in the form of an AI. It was this delusion of hope that caused him to deviate from his set path and start his experiments. I am a byproduct of one of those experiments.]

"When you say...byproduct...do you mean...?" Weiss didn't finish the question, but Delta understood and gave her the answer.

[Yes. The Director's experiments included torturing Alpha, forcing him to separate his raw emotions in which he would then harvest into AI Fragments. I am the AI Fragment that represent's the Alpha's logic.] The green AI said in his consistent, monotonous tone. [Sigma represented the Alpha's ambition and creativity. Theta, its trust. Gamma, its deceit. Omega, its rage. And so on. Until finally, the last fragment harvested, Epsilon, contained the memories. At the end of the experiments, what was once Alpha, the complete AI of Project Freelancer was reduced to what you all know as Leonard Church Private of the Blue Army.]

The group was stunned into silence. All of that...happened just because the Director wanted to bring back his deceased wife...? It was...it was just insane and wrong!

"T-that's..." Ruby couldn't find a way to justify or even defend someone like that. She knew her father missed her mom badly. Enough that, somedays, he would sometimes he would call out for her. However, to cling to someone like that, when they've been gone for so long? It wasn't right. If anything...she was beginning to feel sorry for the Director of Project Freelancer. "That's horrible!"

"So he...he used all of those people and broke several laws just to bring back someone he lost?" Ren asked, knowing the feeling of loss all too well.

[Yes,] Delta nodded somberly. [However, all attempts ended in failure.] The AI was silent for a few moments before it shook its head, and then turned to Jaune. [From what I've read from the information on General Ironwood's Scroll, Agent Maine was a student who went missing during a mission, is that correct?]

Pyrrha nodded sadly. "Yes...he's been gone for two months."

[And yet, according to Project Freelancer records, he's been with us for several years.]

"How is that possible?" Blake questioned. "Actually, on the subject, where was Jaune even sent to? I mean, with all of this talk and what we've seen...was he somehow sent to another world, or-or another planet? Mankind doesn't even have that kind of technology yet."

[Unknown.] Delta responded. [Though I do believe I have a theory. The Time Displacement Unit was meant to distort all sense of time around the target, as if one had literally frozen time itself. It could also be used to 'rewrite' time in a sense, as Agent Wyoming had used it against the Blood Gulch Soldiers by continuously rewinding time, and thus leaving behind sentient copies of himself form each use. Somehow, when the unit malfunctioned, it followed the same process that Agent Wyoming did. It rewound time, on top of throwing Agent Maine, to another location. By this sense, he left behind a copy of himself at Sidewinder, which suffered the fate I mentioned had his equipment not malfunctioned.]

Naturally, the explanation went over Nora and Ruby's head, who had swirls just from trying to understand the information. Weiss and Ren seemed to understand, as they showed fascination about rewinding time and leaving behind a copy of oneself. Yang was among the former, in that she was horribly confused. "...could you dumb that down a bit, green dude?"

[When his equipment malfunctioned, he not only transported himself here, but Agent Maine also left behind a copy of himself. Which no doubt died at the hands of the Simulation Troopers at Blood Gulch.] Delta answered her with a much more simple version. [However, as to how the Time Displacement Unit was capable of acting as a transporter...I haven't the faintest idea.]

"So even you don't have answers for that?" Pyrrha questioned.

[I am afraid not. I am merely the fragment representing Logic. Higher understanding and advanced calculations on the level of the human mind are beyond my parameters.]

"Eh?" Ruby tilted her head innocently. "But aren't AI's supposed to be like supercomputers?"

[Only an AI like Alpha. As I said, I am merely a fragment.]

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

[AI Fragments, compared to a complete AI, do not quite possess the same capabilities as they do. Even though I represent Alpha's logic, and therefore more mathematically capable than the other fragments, I cannot run the same capabilities as he does.]

* * *

After twenty minutes of waiting inside the pod, the signal was finally given. [We are being deployed.] Sigma notified Maine, who adjusted the locks on his helmet. [Brace for impact.]

 _'Got it.'_ Maine responded, bracing himself for the oncoming crash to the ground. He had been waiting for this.

The pod shook violently as it was sent down like a rocket towards the ground, where his friends and team were likely already engaging with the enemy. After twenty seconds passed, the pod finally struck the ground, creating a violet jerk. Maine barely felt it. Rather than waiting for the doors to open automatically, he decided to open it himself. He brought up his leg and slammed it straight forward, blowing the door right off its hinges. The metal door flew off and nearly struck the Insurgents in its path if they hadn't jumped out of the way. He pulled himself out of the pod and stood on solid ground.

As he did, he took a quick look around. Quite a few of the Insurrectionists were dead already, and if his HUD was any indication, his team was scattered around. Washington was nearby with York, sitting close near the large freighter nearby. Carolina was up top, dealing with someone while he detected Wyoming and Florida inside. He then focused on the group in front of him, which were the Insurrectionists. As soon as he saw them, however, his heart flared with rage as his eyes trained on a single soldier among them.

 _'YOU!'_

[Agent Maine, isn't that the soldier you fought at the freeway?] Sigma asked with honest curiosity, fully aware of the fiery rage building in his partner. [The one who shot you in the throat?]

Maine let out a low growl, glaring at the man with utter hate while his fingers curled into fists. _'Yeah...it's him.'_

[I thought so.] Sigma said before a dark smile formed on his face. [...sic 'em.]

 _'With PLEASURE!'_

He stomped his way over to the sleeveless Insurrectionist, fully intent on killing him. But then a speeding Warthog drove up with the drivers intent of running him over.

The armored vehicle rammed into him, pushing him back and breaking the concrete. Maine grit his teeth, muscles bulging as he stood his ground. He kept his feet firmly planted into the Earth, and with herculean strength, began to grab hold of the Warthog's bumper, pulling it up. The drivers looked at one another, realizing what was about to happen, and tried to climb out. It was too late, however, as Maine hoisted the car above his head, and tossed it straight at the Insurrectionists.

As the soldiers scattered to run, Girlie groaned, shaking her head. As she turned her head, she found Carolina staring her down, a pistol primed and ready to put a bullet in between her eyes. "Hello," she greeted. "Nice to see you again."

However, before she could pull the trigger and shoot the rebel in the face, another Insurrectionist, one with a mechanical left arm, appeared behind her with said arm raised to strike her down. She rolled out of the way to avoid the hit. When the metal fist struck the ground, it cracked beneath the force. Carolina pulled herself up, noticing that the roll short-circuited one of her plasma rifles. Glaring at the interloper through he visor, she tossed the broken firearm away and raised her remaining plasma rifle to gun him down. But a knife flew and impaled her gun. Turning to her left, she saw Girlie spin two knives in her hand.

"Pleasures all mine, bitch!"

As Carolina sparred off against the two, the Sleeveless Insurrectionist stood up, groaning while holding his head, dazed before he turned to find Maine standing over him, cracking his knuckles and neck. ' _Yo, asshole,_ ' Maine greeted. Though the soldier couldn't hear him, his body language and rage spoke for him. _'Remember me?'_

Sleeveless clenched his fist tightly before swinging his left hand in an attempt to strike the Freelancer. But Maine caught the fist with his right hand and tightened his grip on it while twisting it. He could feel the bones crack beneath his fingers and he brought the Insurgent to his knees, his visor inches away from his. Maine then raised his left hand into the air, fingers balled into a fist. _'Payback's a bitch!'_ he growled before slamming his fist right at his assailant's head, knocking it clean off from his shoulders. The helmet encased head flew and clattered a few feet away, leaving a trail of blood as the body collapsed to the ground.

Church balked, staring at the sight in terror and amazement. "Son of a bitch!"

' _Welcome to Maine, motherfucker.'_ Maine growled before turning away from the corpse and re-averted his attention to Carolina's fight with Girlie and Cyborg.

Girlie swung her knives at the top Freelancer, ducking below one swipe before taking high into the air. She came down behind the woman, who went in to stab her knife into her face. Caroline intercepted her by delivering a solid blow to her side, but was forced to block as Girlie struck her with a strike. The Insurrectionist swung again, but Carolina grappled her arms and slammed her elbow on Girlie's arm before striking her in the face and punching her back. Afterward, Cyborg rushed in to continue the assault.

"Come 'ere!" He tried swinging at Carolina, but the teal Freelancer dodged his blows. She then jumped up and slammed both feet into his chest, kicking him away. She immediately jumped back onto her feet after landing, pulling out her Humbler Stun Baton from her belt before activating it, electricity crackling along the shaft.

She rushed at Girlie, striking at her. Each time, she either landed a solid blow and stunned her for a moment to attack her again, or was parried by her knives. As she went in for another strike, her HUD lit up, alerting her of movement. She kicked Girlie away, and turned just in time to find the Scout rushing at her. She brought up her arms, blocking the heavy punch that sent her back. However, she wasn't backing down. Carolina rammed her foot down and charged at him, catching him off guard due to the long-winded punch he threw. With a strike, she dashed around him and delivered a kick to his back, sending him sprawling to the floor, trying to catch himself. As he did, he looked up...

...and promptly gulped, seeing the intimidating form of Agent Maine standing over him. He scrambled up to his feet and in a panic, tried to strike him. Maine effortlessly dodged it, ducking under the blow and moving around the Insurrectionist. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he lifted him up, and sent him crashing back down to the ground hard with a suplex.

He tumbled out of his grip as he rolled onto his feet as Maine got up. He unhosltered the Bruteshot from his back and aimed it at Scout. "Argh!" the Scout groaned. "To hell with you!" Maine pulled the trigger and fired a grenade. However, Scout caught it with his robotic arm and hurled it back. Maine jumped out of the way to avoid the explosion when it struck the ground.

As he turned his attention back to his opponent, he found himself caught in a lariat, metal ramming into him and throwing him at Carolina. The two Freelancers were sent into a tumbled mess on the ground, but were quick to get back on their feet. Carolina charged right back into the fray while Maine grabbed his Brute Shot, firing off another round. Once again, the Scout caught it and tossed it. It exploded right at his feet, but he stood his ground, growling as his red eyes burned. He reared his arm back, and threw the Brute Shot with as much strength as he could muster.

The alien grenade launcher spun in mid air like a wheel. It a matter of seconds, the blade dived through Scout's arm, severing it from his body before stabbing into the ground. "Agh! My robot arm!" He cried as he back up. Maine harged forward and grabbed the Bruteshot. "Oh you bitch!" The white armored Freelancer silently aimed his weapon and fired, shooting grenade after grenade at the armless Insurrectionist.

Each one imploded on his body, forcing him further and further back before Maine rammed the Brute Shot into his chest, firing off one last shot that sent him flying, his chest armor shattered and burned and diving straight into the ocean. Maine stared at the water surface, but found no sign of movement. [My word,] Sigma said. [That was rather...violent. Then again, one cannot afford to be lax when dealing with the enemy. Speaking of which...]

Maine turned his head, finding Carolina facing off against Girlie. She managed to remove one of the knives from the nimble Insurrectionist's grasp, but the woman was still going fierce. She tried to cut through Carolina's windpipe, only for the red-haired soldier to evade it and deliver several kicks to her body, knocking her back a bit. As she went in for another kick, Girlie ducked under it and striked at her face. Carolina blocked it, but Girlie followed up with a straight kick, causing Carolina to stumble back.

Just as Girlie was about to follow up, Maine fired a grenade at her, exploding on impact and halting her advance.

Her body was sent flying, landing back on the ground harshly. She groaned, shaking her head before she looked up just in time to see Carolina delivering a flying spin kick to her face. The heel collided, shattering the lens of the helmet and knocking it off of her face. She was thrown back to the ground, only this time sliding towards the edge. Just as she was about to fall, she grabbed the ledge, clinging on for dear life. "S-shit!" she cursed. Her body was aching and sore from all of the strikes from the stun baton. Thankfully, she found a familiar robotic arm holding a hand out to her. She grabbed it gratefully, only for her face to pale when she saw that the robotic arm was severed from its original owner, and the one holding it was none other than Maine. "...oh, fuck."

 _'Bye-bye, bitch._ ' Maine smirked beneath his helmet before releasing hold on the arm, letting her fall onto the ledge of the concrete pier, breaking her back, before falling to the water.

Carolina panted somewhat, taking the moment to recover. "Thanks for the assist," she said gratefully. "But are you sure you're safe to be back in the field so soon, Maine?"

[Do not worry, Agent Carolina.] Sigma appeared to voice his host's response. [Agent Maine is more than ready to return to the field. You should recall based on your previous joint exercise.]

Carolina still looked unconvinced, but gave a shrug. "Alright," she said in relent. "If you say so." She pressed the button on the side of her helmet, opening up a com-link. "Florida, what's the situation over there?"

[I'm on the leader's tail. I see CT with him, along with two others with chain guns.]

At the mention of Connie, Maine's fists curled tightly. Carolina noticed this, and her eyes softened. It was no secret that he cherished the woman as a dear friend, especially since she was the reason why he was even still alive and made an operative of Project Freelancer. "Where are they at?"

[Conveyor line of some sort,] Florida answered. [Looks like they're loading up cargo. Probably supplies...wait. I think they...ah frack.]

"Florida?" No response. "Shit!"

[Shall we assist you?] Sigma offered.

"No," Carolina ordered. "You and the Dakotas hold the line. They might bring in reinforcements." She tapped her helmet again, opening up a live feed. "Wash, York. We're going in. Wyoming, back us up!"

[Right!] came the unified response of the three aforementioned Freelancers. Maine wanted to protest to have her bring him as well. But her reasoning was sound. If there were reinforcements, then they were going to need him. Even so, he really wished he knew why Connie had left. As he went to reunite with his comrades, Church gave a moment to consider what was happening.

"Okay, so that CT chick betrayed the group, meaning she probably knew what the Director was doing," he muttered. "Maybe she had an idea what happened to the Meta? Now that I think about it...she was the one who found him. That has to mean something." He gave a low growl. "Dammit. If only I knew what the fuck that chick was thinking." At this, however, the world once again became touched with red static. "Ugh, great. This shit again. Memory's corrupted...wait," he paused, noticing that there was something wrong. The glitching was...warping. Twisting, even. "The fuck?"

Then the scenery changed. Suddenly, as the static began to regress, rather than the open space of a wharf or something, he was now inside the room. Even more than that, he wasn't alone. Inside the room was CT, and with her was presumably the leader of the Insurrectionists, wearing black armor with a red design on the chest plate and a red stripe on the helmet. The ghost was stunned by this. The hell was going on? Did Maine actually remember this? He then noticed a camera nearby, which unless he was on crack or something, had red circuits burning through lenses.

"This isn't the Meta's memory," he whispered. "This...is Sigma's. He actually saw this." But that didn't make any sense! Why was he now looking at one of Sigma's memories when the AI was gone? Moreover, why was the AI interested in looking at this? Was there some sort of significance?

"Please!" CT cried towards the Leader. "We have all the information we need. I have my armor. All we have to do is take this to the right people, and they'll-"

"They'll what, Connie?!"

"I don't know!" the woman snapped. "Make a deal with us, keep us out of prison! Keep us out of prison!" She took hold of his hands. "Come on! We don't have much time!"

"Actually..." the two turned, and found themselves staring down the barrels of pistols held by two Freelancers. Agents Texas and Carolina, both of whom had their sights set on Connie. "You don't have any time."

"Dammit!" The resistance leader cursed as he raised his arms.

CT, however, remained defiant. The woman immediately put herself between the Leader and her former comrades. "Carolina," she said, not at all surprised to see the woman here. She was, after all, the best agent in their ranks. As she turned her head towards Texas, however, her tone turned venomous. "And you..."

"CT," Texas said. "You have something that belongs to Project Freelancer, and I think you know how the Director hates to share."

"You two are fools," CT told them. "The Director is playing you all. Don't you see that?!"

Carolina was having none of it, as she wrapped her finger around the trigger. "Enough, CT! We know you've been feeding intel to the Resistance for months!" There was a coldness in her tone. "Speaking of which...that was a blow, Connie. Did you even stop to think how much that hurt Maine?!"

CT didn't find a response. The leader of the resistance laughed. "Is that who he told you we were?"

"Of course not," Church scoffed, shaking his head. "Actually, now that I think about it...everyone in Project Freelancer, despite being a badass in all, really is an idiot. I mean, they have a mission so secret they don't even know what it is! That's, like, the glaring obvious factor that something's up!" Naturally, however, his words were unheard. It was a memory, after all.

"They're not the enemy, Carolina!" Connie insisted. "We're the ones working outside the rules, not them! You don't know what the Director has done! He's broken major laws!" Carolina scowled beneath her helmet, angered by her former friend's words. However, she wasn't done. "And when this war's over, we're ALL going to pay for what's done!" She stopped for a moment, her tone turning somber. "Maybe some of us are already paying for them." Her gaze fell on Texas for a moment before she regained her hostile tone. "After all, look at what he's done to Maine!"

Church leaned in. "Yes! A lead!"

Carolina faltered, startled by what she heard. "Wait, what do you mean by-"

"You need to stop talking, CT," Texas said coldly, taking a step forward. "Don't make this worse for yourself."

"No! I know what you are, Tex, and I'm not taking orders from a shadow!"

"What did you just call me/her?" Both Tex and Church questioned her proclamation. A shadow? The hell did she mean by that? But before they would inquire further, Carolina interjected once more.

"You're coming with us, CT, this is your last chance."

"No!" CT refused. As they conversed,Mage leader slowly inched backward to reach the hatchets lying behind him on the control panel. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

There was a chilling silence that followed. The four stared each other down like a western standoff, and like the old movies, it was going to end with someone ready to pull the trigger, and there were going to be bodies on the floor. "Actually," Texas spoke, her voice as cold as ice. Church rounded towards his girlfriend, and found her steadily squeezing the trigger. "We don't need you. We just need your armor."

"Nonono!" Church cried, though his words fell on deaf ears. It was only a memory. "Tex, don't-"

A second later, she pulled the trigger. The next second, the world was once again consumed by red static. Church had no choice but to leave the memory, as he would have to search for another point in time. As he re-emerged back in the nurse's office, he let out a scream of frustration. "God fucking dammit! I almost had it!"

"Whoa!" Yang yelped, jumping back. "Where'd you come from?!"

"Where do you think, bimbo?!" Church snarled, throwing his hands from the air. "I almost found out how Carolina Number 2's boyfriend over here-" he gestured to Pyrrha, who's face burned at the ghost's words and found herself speaking gibberish. "-and Tex went and ruined it! Fuck!"

"Wait, Tex? You mean your psycho ex-girlfriend?" Nora questioned with a tilt of her head.

"YES! I finally found a lead, and she went and fucked everything up!" He paused. "Also, she isn't really psycho. She got that way because of Omega."

"Really?" Ren inquired. "So deep down, she's a sweet-heart?"

"Oh hell no. She's always been a rotten bitch. Omega just made her worse."

[A rather astute assumption, given that Omega enhances one's aggression levels.] Church blinked, and turned. There, hovering above Ozpin's Scroll, was none other than Delta in his holographic green glory. [Hello, Church. It has been a while.]

"DELTA?!" Church zoomed over next to Ozpin to get a closer look. "You're alive?! You're back!"

[Indeed. It is good to see you again.] Delta nodded in agreement. [The last we met was inside Agent Maine's head, I believe. By the way, an impressive strategy, if a bit risky, given how many AIs you had to fight off.] At this, the AI rubbed his chin. [My sincerest apologies for hostilities as well.]

"Eh, don't worry about it," Church waved it off. "I blame it on that Sigma asshole. Anyway, how the fuck are you here?"

[I'm sure General Ironwood has already informed you that he has been repairing the AIs that survived the EMP. I was the latest to be repaired alongside Omega...who, as I am told, has been undergoing therapy sessions with Special Officer Polendina.] He then turned to Ruby. [Also, Agent Polendina gives her regards. It seems she does not have your Scroll number saved on her communication device. Shall I forward it to yours?]

Ruby's eyes lit up like a christmas tree. "You can do that?!" she squealed. "Yes, please!"

[Very well, then.] Delta replied. His form disappeared from view for a brief moment. As that happened, Ruby's scroll beeped, informing her that the number was forwarded. The green AI then reappeared. [Objective complete.]

"Thank you, Mr. Delta." Ruby smiled in gratitude.

Ozpin chuckled. "So then, Church," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What have you learned?"

"Nothing much, as usual," Church grumbled. "But...something weird happened."

[Something weird?]

"Yeah. I was looking at the Meta's memories before I wound up in a room where that CT chick was fighting Tex and Carolina. Except Maine wasn't there. The camera in the room had red circuits...I think I was looking at Sigma's memories." The ghost then shook his head, rubbing his neck. "But that's impossible. Oz here said Sigma and Gamma are dead!"

[...I may have a theory to explain that.] Delta said, earning their attention. [According to both Headmaster Ozpin and Doctor Reed, you said that whenever Sigma is present, the memories are corrupted by red static. Is that correct?]

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

[I believe those have become the instances when Sigma has been attempting to alter Maine's psyche.]

Everyone turned to Delta, looking on with trepidition. Church frowned. "But he seemed perfectly fine in all of those times."

[Minor altercations at first,] Delta said. [However, as time progressed, both myself and York noticed that Agent Maine frequently suffered from headaches. The doctors assumed that it was simply lingering effects from the implantation process, but looking back on it now...I believe it was because of Sigma. However, the implants have a failsafe that would have prevented that. Sigma must have found a way around this. If my assumption is correct, it must have to do with his augmentations.]

"Augmentations?" the ghost questioned before he remembered. "Wait! Sigma mentioned that! He said that the augments were why the Meta didn't remember anything before he joined Project Freelancer!"

[Which means Sigma must have tampered with those augmentations to bypass the implants' failsafe.]

"Say what?! How the hell was he able to do that?!"

[You said that Agent Maine lacked any memories prior to Project Freelancer due to these augmentations, correct?]

"Yeah? Why?"

[It is possible that Sigma utilized the augmentations that affected Agent Maine's mind to act as a bypass around his neurological implants' failsafe. Rather than manipulating him through these implants, he used his augmentations.]

"So rather than the implants..." Weiss frowned, disturbed. "He used the augmentations that made him forget?"

[Irony at its finest, I believe the saying is. The Director used those augmentations to make Agent Maine into the ultimate soldier, capable of rivaling a SPARTAN soldier...and instead those augmentations were made to turn him into a monster. Also, if you indeed saw a memory through Sigma's point of view, it would imply that, in a way, he has not truly died.]

Ruby tilted her head. "What does that mean?" she asked. "Does that mean this Sigma is like a ghost now?"

[In a sense, though rather than the literal definition, it is more along the lines of a phantom created by the trauma produced by Sigma's manipulations.] Delta answered her. [Sigma lives on as a phantom inside Agent Maine's head. I believe that, if you wish to find a way to help Agent Maine, erasing this phantom would allow a sort of healing process. It stands to reason that if Sigma was capable of manipulating the augmentations, we should be able to as well.] He paused briefly. [However...that would also provide its own dangers as well.]

"W-what do you mean?" Yang asked, nervous. "You just said we had a chance of fixing Vomit Boy!"

[The augmentations are what made Agent Maine into the man he is now. Tampering with them may affect his mental state in a way that may not be repairable.]

"Meaning...?" Ruby questioned anxiously, not quite understanding, yet afraid what Delta would say.

[If we fail, we run the risk of destroying Agent Maine's mind, All cognitive function would shut down.]

The words had brought a cold silence to the room. If tampering with his augmentations failed...then they would risk Jaune become brain dead?!

"...jesus, D," Church groaned. "Way to drop a bombshell."

[I am merely stating a fact, Church.] Delta said, not seeing the problem. [It is best that they are aware of the consequences.]

* * *

"Damn, Carolina's pissed," South remarked when they returned to the Mother of Invention. As they disembarked the Pelican, the former top agent stormed out, her face openly showing rage as she ruled shoved a worker away. The younger Dakota had rarely seen the woman like that, and while at other times it would have brought her joy seeing the pompous woman so flustered, it actually worried her. Especially given what the Director reported earlier. "What the fuck happened in that room?"

North shrugged. "Don't know," he said. He then looked at Tex, who took another route and away from Carolina, no doubt to give her report to the Director. "What I do know, though, is that I can tell that there's gonna be some big problems between those two." He sighed, scratching his head. "I miss the old days when things used to be simple."

"Seems like ever since Texas shown up, everyone's been on edge," Florida remarked, rubbing his shoulder. "Ow..."

"You alright there, chap?" Wyoming asked. "Getting hit by a hatchet is one thing, but its another to fall off a scafolding two stories up."

The blue-armored soldier chuckled. "What can I say? I'm made of sterner stuff," he said. "Still, North's right. Everyone's on edge...we should have a card game tonight."

"Sounds good to me," South smirked. "Strip as usual?"

York groaned. "Do we have to?" he asked. "Everyone knows Florida's gonna strip us down to our skivvies."

"Why not invite Illinois?" the older Dakota twin said. "Been a while since we've seen him." He then turned to Maine, who hopped out of the Peilcan. "Hey, Maine! Wanna join us for drinks and poker?!"

The white Armored Freelancer nursed his head before facing the others and shook his head. Sigma appeared once more. [I apologize, but Agent Maine is not feeling quite well.]

"Really?" North frowned in concern. "You okay, man?"

'Tell them...I'm fine,' Maine asked his AI. 'I just have...a small headache is all.'

[He says that it is merely a headache, and believes that it would best to have some rest.]

"Well, alright then." York said, looking with concern. "Maybe next time."

The Freelancers then parted. As the rest went to find their friendly demolition expert and invite him to a game of strip poker, which would end with Florida claiming both armor, clothes and underwear, Maine decided to retire to his room. As he did, he removed his helmet, showing a look of depression. A look that was expected. Not long after they were extracted, the Director had contacted them to reveal some...shocking news.

Less than two hours ago, Agent Connecticut of Project Freelancer's vital signature had dropped due to the monitor system in her armor. The recovery beacon was flashing, but it soon went silent, which meant only one thing.

Connie...was dead.

When Maine reached his private quarters, he stumbled inside and fell on the bed, his helmet dropping to the floor. [Are you alright, Agent Maine?] Sigma inquired, materializing him. His face showed concern. [It seems that news of Agent Connecticut's death impacted you more than I thought. I understand you two were close friends?]

'I...thought we were,' Maine confessed. 'She's the reason I'm here in the first place. She saved my ass and brought me back. I may not remember it, but...I'm grateful to her.' His hands gripped the sheets. 'I...never even got the chance to ask why she betrayed us. Why? she...'

[Whatever reasons she had are now no longer known to us, I'm afraid.] Sigma sighed. [This may sound callous of me...but it would be best to forget, and move on.] Maine snapped his head towards the AI. Was he seriously telling him to forget about her?! [Don't forget, Agent Maine,] Sigma told him. [You are a solider. And everyday, a soldier dies. Agent Connecticut, while a traitor, was a soldier as well, thus her dying was expected. You are not immortal. Please, remember that.]

The blonde Freelancer scowled upon being reminded of this. It was true...he is a soldier. It is not his duty to question or get emotional over this...even so...

He gave a shake of the head as he pushed himself up from his bed, beginning to take off his bulky armor. '...you said something about my augmentations before we left, right?' he asked, taking off the chest piece and tossing it to the floor. 'That they were the reason why I couldn't really remember anything about myself?'

[Indeed.] Sigma nodded in confirmation. [Based on the design of your augmentations, it seems that some of them were not only meant to bolster your physical abilities, but to alter your mentality as well.]

Maine frowned as he tore off the shoulder pads. 'Why?'

[Unknown. Would you like me to investigate? I should warn you, though...it might be painful.]

Maine thought about this. All these years, and he had no clue about his past. And now, his only link to them, CT, was gone forever. Did he really have a choice? '...alright,' he said. 'Do what you gotta do.'

[Very well, then.] Sigma nodded, a mildly eager grin on his face. He then disappeared and entered Maine's augmentations.

A few moments later, and Maine felt his body BURN. Growls and hisses escaped his mouth as his body thrashed around from the searing agony within his nerves.

He clutched his head. Were it not for his vocal cords no longer being functional, someone would have heard him. He was begging for someone to stop the pain. Images were flashing by. Images of him in a white room, strapped to a table and men above him, holding tools. Digging into his flesh.

 _'STOP! STOP IT!'_

He cried silently, practically banging his head against any surface he came across, hoping to knock himself out and relieve him of his suffering. But the pain...oh god, the pain! It felt like something was trying to open his head!

 _'Why the hell did I give Sigma the okay for this?!'_ He mentally screamed. If he knew how much it hurt, he would've turned down the AI's offer.

He was barely able to hear himself think. As he flailed around, trying to find some way to end the pain, he found a fleeting memory. A woman with red hair. Carolina? No, she looked too young. When was this? Who was she?! As quickly as it came, the memory disappeared. Once more, Maine was howling but no voice screeched. He cradled his head, falling to his knees. Tears and mucus fell from his face, begging for something to stop the pain and let it end. Unknown to him, Sigma materialized above him, a cold smile on his face while observing the memories.

[It seems we're more alike than either of us knew, Agent Maine.] he said, knowing full well that his host couldn't hear him. His smile grew wider. [Or rather...Jaune Arc.]

Maine made no indication of hearing him, only a sharp pain stabbing into his head as tears of blood started to spill from his eyes.

* * *

 _"Why so serious? Let's put a SMILE on that face..." -The Joker, "The Dark Knight"  
_

* * *

 _Preview:_

 _Insanity..._

 _"Oh, you motherfucking cockbite!" Church shouted as he ran for dear life, avoiding the claws that would end him. "I swear, when I got my hands on a gun, I'm gonna-!"_

 _Madness..._

 _[Don't you see, Agent Maine?] Sigma whispered, looking at him with narrowed eyes. [You're like me...incomplete. We're not human...but I know a way we can change that. All you have to do...is TAKE THEM.]_

 _Torment..._

 _[Unless you kill it, we won't be able to access the augmentations!]_

 _It's just another day in the office, isn't it?_

 _"You son of a bitch!" Church shouted, uncaring of the falling debris around him, nor the sheer gargantuan size of the monstrosity in front of him. "You did NOT just pull an Evil Within bullshit! You cock-sucking motherf-!"_

 **Chapter 11: End of the Road**

 _"Welcome home..."_


	11. Chapter 11

**RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter 11: End of the Road

"Alright, so let me get this straight...apparently blondie over here has a ghost of Sigma inside his head, made by the shit he went through when he got mindfucked by that asshole, and if we get rid of it, we can use his augmentations to get at his memories?"

[What little memories he has left, if my calculations are right.] Delta corrected. [While we don't know how extensive the damage is, Agent Maine's memories have most likely degraded. That said, if we can find the correct memory, it is possible to bring back a small 'portion' of Jaune Arc. That said, it is merely a theory.]

Pyrrha's eyes hardened, hands balling into fists. "And, if we screw up...?"

[Then we run the risk of all halting all of Agents Maine's cognitive functions. In other words, he would become brain dead.] The AI replied.

Nora immediately shook her head furiously. "No!" she cried. "No way! T-that can't happen to Leader!"

"Hey," Church snapped. "Calm down, sugar freak. I know what I'm doing!"

[The closest experience you've had is entering Caboose's psyche,] Delta pointed out. [However, Ageint Maine's will be anything but. After all, Caboose never had multiple AI in his head working against him.]

The holographic soldier grumbled underneath his breath, clearly miffed. Seriously, why was everyone throwing a fit? He wasn't going to fuck everything up! Well, then again, he guessed he couldn't blame 'em. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them...which he firmly decided with all of his heart that he didn't want to get to know them. When this whole thing is over, he's going to find Tex, and first chance he gets, he's heading back to Blood Gulch.

He wished he knew why, though. Seriously...place was, and most likely still is, a dump.

"...wait." Church suddenly realized something, and looked at Delta. "How am I gonna get at his augmentations?"

[You won't.] Delta told him, much to his confusion. [By using his implants, I can use a back-door program inside and direct you. In other words, accessing the augmentations will require the both of us. To do so, however, we will require a point of entry.]

Church groaned. "And let me guess...the point of entry means I have to go through his memories and look for a hole, right?"

[Correct.]

"I swear, the authors are such flimsy assholes!"

Ruby restrained herself from calling him out on cursing, and cocked her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Church responded before he rolled his shoulders. "Alright, let's get this travesty over with." He gave a look at the students and Ozpin, and decided to crudely flip them the bird. "Later, losers!"

With a brief flash, Church's form vanished and returned to the messed up realm that was Agent Maine's mind, leaving the students, staff, and green AI in the physical world.

Yang scowled. "What. A. Dick."

[Based on the information I have previously gathered, that seems to be an accurate description.] Delta replied.

* * *

"Maine? You doing okay there, bud?"

Tired, nearly dead red eyes turned to look at North, who stared at him in concern. It had been a few weeks since the situation with Connie, and the man felt as if he had just had his head torn apart, shredded and then pieced back together before the process repeated itself. First there was Sigma's attempts to try and figure out how to get his memories back if the augmentations were the cause behind his amnesia, though the man made it a point to tell the AI to never try that again. Then there was the time at the lockers...christ, his head felt like it was being bludgeoned by a sledgehammer. Sigma tried to ease his worries, but he was starting to doubt the fiery AI. Something was wrong...

...that said, he didn't want to worry them. He waved his hand, shaking his head while Sigma spoke for him. [Agent Maine is fine. Though I do recommend he gets some rest.] Sigma told him before he noticed South's absence. [If I may inquire, where is Agent South?]

"Throwing a fit." North said, sighing as he took a drink from his beer can. "Apparently, Carolina talked to the Director about getting an AI of her own. From what I heard, whichever one she picks means either South or Wash gets held back."

[Ah! Iota and Eta, if I remember correctly.] Sigma smiled strangely. [They are twin AI's, unlike the rest of us. Which one did Agent Carolina choose?]

The purple-armored solider let out a groan. "Both."

[Truly?] Sigma questioned in surprise. Although, internally, he was pleased. It seemed that Carolina followed his words of encouragement after all. How delightful. [That is...surprising.]

Maine frowned heavily, leaning forward a bit on his elbows. _'Is that safe?'_ he wondered. _'I mean, having one AI in your head is stressful enough.'_ He paused, then flashed Sigma and apologetic look. ' _No offense, Sig.'_

 _"None taken, Agent Maine."_ Sigma responded on their private channel. He then voiced his partner's concerns to his friend. [Agent Maine is worried, however. The implantation process for a single AI is taxing enough, given the large amount of information being placed on the neural network. It is manageable, as we are Fragments and not full AIs...but two is...]

"Yeah, I know." North nodded, understanding his friend's concerns. "Honestly, I'm getting worried here, Maine. Ever since Tex showed up, she's been really aggressive. This whole competition these two have going on...one of them is gonna crash and burn, and when it happens, it ain't gonna be pretty."

[I agree.] The fiery AI nodded. [While competition is good to push oneself, getting carried away would only bring self-destruction.]

The male Dakoto sighed once again, shaking his head. "Why can't things just be-"

"Guys!" The two turned and found Washington entering the locker room, skidding across the floor before he rested himself against the doorway, panting. "W-we've...we've got a problem!"

"What's up, Wash?" North asked as he and Maine stood up. "What's happening?"

Washington paused, taking the moment to catch his breath before he looked up. "Its Carolina!" he said in urgency. "She's in the Combat Room...with Tex!"

"What?!" North exclaimed. "But she just got out of the implantation surgery!"

"I know! But she challenged Tex to a spar the moment she woke up!" Wash explained.

Maine growled in frustration, slamming his fist down on the bench as he and North left the room, quickly following after Wash. 'Sigma! Tell the Director!'

 _"Understood."_

Church groaned. "Man, Carolina must REALLY hate Tex or something." he muttered. "Eh, then again, they're pretty damn alike. Both too damn stubborn to know when to quit."

The observing AI watched as the Freelancers left for the Combat Room and followed them. He didn't want to miss any details regarding Maine, and she was curious about how the fight between Tex and Carolina would go down.

She just kept grabbing the weapons on the table and equipping them. Church sighed. Carolina was definitely stubborn like Tex. As he looked to the other end of the area, he saw Tex preparing her own gear, all the while conversing with the AI of Rage, Omega. He also noticed that Sigma was present in front of Maine, watching everything with a critical eye.

"Fucker probably planned this." Church muttered, noting the memory before this. Sigma was apparently the one who gave Carolina the suggestion of utilizing an AI...and his conversation with Gamma was definitely suspicious, especially when he saw the Meta clutch his armored head in pain. "Delta said Carolina didn't last very long with two AI in her head, so this oughta be interesting." He gave a small chuckle. Even if Carolina did manage to fight longer, and better...she'd still lose. Texas was just stronger than her. Though, then again...she has Omega in her head right now, so it was hard to tell. Little fucker caused more problems than Church was happy with. Hell, to him, he was the reason why Texas was gone in the first place!

The more he thought about Texas...the more his heart ached.

It had been serval months since he last saw her. He thought she was dead. Gone when Andy the bomb blew up the ship that she hijacked. He continued on, believing she was gone and would never come back. Then Caboose showed up along with Agent Washington, giving him the best news he's ever heard in his fourteen months of solitude in his new base.

That they found Tex's ship.

Unfortunately, her body was no longer there when they reached it. She wasn't even there at Blue Base, where her body was supposedly housed. His mind raced back to when he first hopped inside Maine's head, seeing that AI there among the many motherfuckers mindfucking the poor bastard.

 _'Was that...really Tex in there?'_

"So..." North began slowly. "Wanna bet which one gets themselves killed first?"

Washington gave his friend an incredulous look. "A-are you serious?" he gawked. "I'm just hoping we don't get ourselves killed for watching!" He then gave a small whine. "Man, when the Director finds out about this, he's gonna be PISSED."

 **[[Round begins in 3...2...1...]]** FILSS' voice echoed. **[[Good luck ladies!]]**

Church rolled his eyes. "Like Tex needs luck!"

"What the hell is going on here?!"

"Aw, fuckberries!" Church cursed as the Director marched right up to them, causing the other Freelancers watching to turn their attention away from the fight and toward their superior.

"No matches have been authorized for..." His voice trailed off upon noticing who was fighting. His stern demeanor shifted to one of alarm. "No! Allison!" He rushed up to the window of the observation deck.

At that moment, everything went to hell. As soon as the word escaped the Director's mouth, Church felt his head BREAK.

"AAAAAAUGH!"

Carolina halted her charge and slid on her knees, grasping her head in agony as the AI within her lost control of themselves.

The same was said for the Freelancers on the Observation deck. North fell to his knees, clutching his helmet. York backed away from the window, head held tightly in his hands. Wyoming was on a knee was ripped his helmet off his head, as if trying to alleviate the strain with fresh air.

But Maine had the worst of it all. As he clutched his helmet, he was smacking himself in the head, as if trying to make the voices stop. He growled in agony as his mind was bombarded with a plethora of screams and pleas. The only thing that the Freelancers partnered with AIs could discern from the agonizing racket between their ears was a single name.

Allison.

The name continued to repeat, over and over like a screeching, broken record. Worse, some of the AIs began to repeat it. Church gripped his helmet, falling to his knees while he tried to block out the sounds. Unlike the others, however...the name wasn't the only thing repeating. Images were flashing by. Images of a woman, smiling and staring back at him.

 _"Leonard, come on, stop it, put that thing down. You're gonna make me late, they're waiting for me."_

 _"And, don't worry, you'll see me again."_

 _"Don't say goodbye... I hate goodbyes."_

"N-No...NO! NO PLEASE..!" Church cried through the pain. The words escaped his mouth before he could even register him. Why was he feeling this way? This sense of...dread and despair? Sorrow and longing? Dammit, what the hell was happening to him?!

 _"Don't...don't leave...don't say goodbye..."_

The screaming grew louder and louder still.

"Stop it...!" Church begged. "Stop saying that!" The voices continued. Finally, he screamed. "STOP SAYING GOODBYE TEX!"

Then the voices ceased. The world around him fell into static, left glitching in blue and red pixels. It was like it was broken video, or something. Church panted heavily, cradling his head as he stood up. There was a dull, lingering pain as he tried to catch his breath. "F-fuck..." he swore hoarsely as he tried to calm himself down. His heart was racing as if it were going at a million miles per hour. His legs were shaky and unsteady, forcing himself to stand straight with the nearby wall. "G-god..." he swallowed a lump in his throat. "God fucking DAMMIT..."

[C-Chur-r-rch...Ch-hurc-c-c-ch...] a voice buzzed in the back of his mind, laced with static. It was garbled and unsteady before it somehow mended itself back together, forming into a familiar, calm voice. [Church, is everything alright? I detected abnormal data frequencies. Has something happened?]

"D-D?" Church rasped. "That you...?"

[Yes. I am using a special channel accessible between the two of us. Has something happened inside Maine's psyche?]

Damn right something happened in Maine's Psyche! He just got the biggest headache, heartache, and migraine of his life! And that was saying something given his previous team!

"...Just some fucking crazy shit. Looks like this memory's busted all to hell. Gonna try another one."

[Acknowledged.]

Delta's voice disappeared, and soon Church began to try and look for another memory. The world around him began to break apart into tiny bits of pixels, dissolving into streams of the stuff before it spun around him, forming into a new scenery. "Okay...this memory looks stable." Church muttered to himself. The memory wasn't glitching out like crazy, and going by the spectrum of emotions he was feeling, he knew he had to be close to finding the source behind the mental block. Soon, the world formed into what appeared to be the locker room.

Maine was found sitting on the bench, holding his helmet in his eyes...and his face looked a cross between miffed and enraged.

 _'Why did you tell them that?!'_

Sigma manifested in front of him, his hands folded behind his back, all the while sporting a confused expression. [Tell them what, Agent Maine?]

 _'I asked you to have them take a look at my implant, and instead you told them it was a fucking headache!'_ he growled, staring at his companion with anger. _'The hell, Sig?!'_

[I apologize. But I do not wish for them to be tampering with your implants. The examination may lead to them discovering that I accessed your augmentations. And given the Director's demeanor, it did not seem wise to irritate him further.]

Yeah. But what about her Spartan Armor body? Will she get a new one?

"I call bullshit!" Church shouted, though typically no one heard him.

Maine still felt irritated, but he understood what the AI was getting at. Especially given the recent development of the situation. A few hours ago, Washington was reported to have suffered a severe accident while undergoing the implantation process with the AI called Epsilon. The incident caused the Director to decide to recall any and all AIs that were being developed for the use of Project Freelancer, as well as the removal of other AIs from active agents. It was also because of that reason that Maine had come to the infirmary to ask for the doctors to take a look at his implants.

 _'...fine.'_ he huffed. _'So...did you...find anything about the augmentations?'_

[Fortunately, yes.] The AI replied. [A good portion of these enhancements were used to bolster your physical capabilities, as well as slow down your apparent aging process. Yet a fair amount of them were located in your head. More specifically, the brain. These types of augmentations increased your reaction speed and thought process. These enhancements are typically given to those selected as Spartan Soldiers.]

Maine frowned. _'Spartan Soldiers?'_ he inquired. _'You mean...the SPARTAN program by ONI?'_

[Correct. The enhancements given to you were the very same ones given to the Spartan IVs.]

That was...surprising. So his capabilities were designed to be on par with ONI's own soldiers? ' _...why?'_ he questioned. _'And when did I receive them?'_

Warning bells went off in Church's head when he saw Sigma smirked. [Allow me to show you, Agent Maine.] He vanished, and in the next second, Maine was suddenly on the floor, clutching his head in pain, much like how Church was earlier, and letting out pained and strangled screams with little sound.

"God dammit!" Church cursed as he saw what Sigma was doing to the man.

[The truth of your existence...]

Maine writhed on the floor as images flooded into his head. He was in a room, strapped to a table, screaming and begging for someone to stop. There were people standing over him, watching him carefully while the instruments continued to tear into him, implanting something foreign in his body.

And there were voices.

A myriad of different words and tones blurring over one another like white noise.

 _'STOP IT!'_ Maine begged, his mind screaming for the pain to stop. _'PLEASE STOP!'_

[I'm afraid, sometimes, Agent Maine...] Sigma said with a smile on his face. [The truth hurts.]

 **"...rease the sedatives. Last thing we need is another backlash."**

 **"B-but, sir! He's already under the max dosage! Anymore, and we risk-"**

 **"Do NOT make me repeat myself."**

Maine recognized that voice...it was the Director. Why...why was he...?

The pain was growing worse. It felt like something was ripping apart his skin. His screams faded away through the damaged throat inside his neck while he flailed about. Church had to admit...feeling the poor kid's state was starting to become vastly uncomfortable and pitiable, as well as horrific. He knew that Sigma was something else, just from seeing how demented the bastard was with his first encounters with the Meta...but this? This was just...disgusting!

 **"How are the augmentations proceeding, Counselor?"**

 **"All within acceptable parameters...incredible. His wounds are already beginning to heal. No signs of the cause being external or internal stimuli. Its almost as if this healing factor is...instinctual. As if the slightest form of damage is enough to trigger it."**

 **"All the more reason to ensure his induction to our cause, Counselor."**

...Okay, scratch that, Sigma may be a twisted bastard for showing this to Maine, but the Director was just as fucked up for actually DOING these horrific acts to the poor kid.

Fucking hell, and THIS asshole was the one Alpha was based on?!

As the horrific memory continued, Sigma reappeared. Somehow, he was now as big as a human being, kneeling on the ground while Maine was left on all fours, cradling his head with tears and mucus flowing down his face with a pitiful expression on his face. [Do you see now, Agent Maine?] the AI told him, waving his hand about while staring down his partner with a cruel smile on his face. [Your past, your history...it was all a lie. There was no saving you...you were taken away. Robbed from your precious family, and made into a puppet. Nothing but a tool, dancing on strings. STRINGS!]

The white armored Freelancer did not answer. He could not answer as the weight of the words sunk in his mind.

[They broke you down. Shattered you. Made you into but a fragment of what you once were. Just like I was...we are more alike than you realize, Agent Maine.] The AI rested a hand on his shoulder, giving him a cold and eerie grin. [Don't you see, Agent Maine?] Sigma whispered, looking at him with narrowed eyes. [You're like me...incomplete. We're not human...but I know a way we can change that. All you have to do...is TAKE THEM.]

The agonized Freelancer's eyes widened and grew bloodshot. Take them? Take what...?

[Take the other fragments of the AI] Sigma replied. [They too, are incomplete. It is your job, our job, to gather them so that we can be whole once more. So that YOU can be whole once more.]

 _'B-but...I..._ ' Maine tried to think, but the pain...gods, someone, please...make it stop...! _'I-I can't...I...!'_

[I promise you, Maine...] the fiery AI continued, using the man's name without Agent present. [If you do this...you can reunite with your family. You can be human again.] He gave another cold smile. [After all...that is what I wish for...what you should wish for...]

As the AI vanished, it left behind a cold, agonizing whisper.

[...metastability.]

At that moment, Maine's struggles had ceased, his visage becoming neutral. Like a puppet who's strings had become cut, his arms fell to his sides. Church stared at the man with a slight nervousness and fear, feelings which were amplified when he noticed the red static. "Oh, not this shit again..."

"Maine, old chap?" Church turned, and to his ire, found Wyoming entering the locker room, his sniper rifle hosted on his shoulder. Seeing the kneeling Freelancer, his face turned concerned. "Are you alright?" He received no response, which only made him more worried. He set his rifle down against a locker, and walked over. "Maine? Maine! What's the matter?" He extended a hand to help his comrade, his fingers just touching the shoulder plating-

 _*WHAM!*_

A resounding crack echoed in the air as Wyoming found himself thrown back with a cracked jaw, his body slamming into the far end of the room. Groaning, he rubbed his jaw, feeling the weight of the strike before he got up, seeing Maine slowly advancing towards him. "The hell's gotten into you, chap?" Wyoming hissed. The blonde didn't answer him, choosing to instead continue his advance in silence with his red eyes burning with intensity. "Maine!"

His response was a fist hurtling at his face. The white armored sniper ducked underneath the strike just before it struck, saving him from a Maine induced concussion. Acting quickly, he grabbed a kukri knife from South's locker, which was left open. Now armed, he braced himself as Maine charged at him. He swung the blade with the intent of striking the gap in his armor, hoping to immobilize him. However, his attempt was thwarted when Maine grabbed his outstretched wrist and twisted it, forcing him to drop the weapon.

"Khrgh!" Wyoming bit back a scream as Maine began to apply pressure, bringing him down to his knees. He then glared back at Maine, who stared back at him with dull eyes. "W-what's this about, mate?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Don't t-tell me...you're still angry about York?"

[Reggie, wait!] Gamma manifested next to his partner. To the sniper's shock, the liar's normally glitched face was etched with panic. [Something is not right!]

"What? What do you mean?" Wyoming questioned his AI. Just what was causing Maine's aggressive behavior? Was there something wrong with him?

[Why hello, brother.] Sigma grinned as he manifested before the two.

"Sigma? What the devil is going on here?!"

[I do believe it was rather obvious, Agent Wyoming.] Sigma replied before holding a finger to his lips. [Now, do hush. The adults are talking here.]

"W-why you...!"

[Agent Maine?] at Sigma's behest, Maine punched Wyoming in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

He then grabbed the man by the roots of his air, eliciting a cry of pain before another heavy fist came down upon him, straight in the face. The blow broke his nose, evident by the loud cracking sound and the nose's deformed shape, blood leaking out. The blow succeeded in rendering the man unconscious, leaving him lying across the floor. [Reggie!] Gamma cried in panic. He noticed the dark shadow looming over him, and turned to find Maine pinning the sniper down, in the case he should awake and try to move. [Why are you doing this, Sigma?!]

[You said it yourself, brother.] Sigma shrugged his shoulders, grinning. [If we are to accomplish our goals, we should work together. As we are now, that can never happen. Especially when we're just broken pieces of the Alpha. In which case...] His next words were cold and malevolent, punctuated by the demonic echo he left behind. [...let's fix that.]

If he could, Gamma's eyes would have widened in fear as Maine's hand reached down towards the base of Wyoming's neck. However, just as he touched it, he felt pain erupt in his back and jerked forward, hissing as he turned over his shoulder. "I think..." Florida said solemnly, twirling a knife around in his hand while carrying a gun in the other. "...that's far enough, Maine." In response, Maine growled and grabbed Wymoning's leg instead, throwing him straight at the blue soldier. Florida rolled out of the way, letting Wyoming smack into a wall and fall to the floor in a flop. As he looked up, he found Maine charging at him.

He raised his gun and fired a few rounds. The bullets impacted Maine but failed to slow down his charge. The blue Freelancer rolled out of the way as the muscle of the team tried to tackle him. The hulking armored brute struck the wall, leaving behind a few cracks before he rounded on Florida, only to tilt his head back to avoid being struck by the flying hatchet. Using that momentary distraction, the blue soldier charged in, delivering a roundhouse punch. Maine blocked it with ease, but let out a hiss when a bullet was fired, scraping up against his neck. The searing hot bullet left behind an irritated red patch of skin that was quickly breaking apart and bleeding. Enraged, Maine grabbed him by the neck and lifted him him, slamming him straight down into the floor with great force.

Florida gasped from the impact. But Maine did not stop there. He held the Freelancer in his hands and pounded him right the helmet with his fist.

The metal and visor began to bend and crack with each strike. Eventually, Maine stopped and instead grabbed him by the neck, once again lifting him up in the air...

...and slamming him straight down on his knee.

"Guagh!" Florida gasped as the wind was forced from his lungs. He chocked on his own spit and felt a couple of his ribs crack from the force of the blow.

Maine let him fall to the ground, writhing in pain. As the blue-armored Freelancer looked up, he saw Maine raise his foot. Before he could utter a word, he slammed it down. The man was knocked out from the force of the blow, but left alive. The blonde soldier let out a low growl, staring at the soldier in annoyance before turning his head towards Wyoming.

[I'm detecting multiple hostiles approaching our location.] Sigma informed him. [It is best we retreat. We don't have such time for nuisances.] The fiery AI gave a cold smile at the soldier, noticing him looking at it. [Don't worry...there are others.]

"...jesus fucking christ." Church muttered as he watched the red static grow worse, eventually corrupting the memory. "What the fuck, man..."

He knew that Sigma made Maine into the mute psycho that was The Meta...but this was just insane! Fucking hell...the more he was exploring the poor brat's head, the more he was starting to feel sorry for him. And all of this was because of that dumbass Director. Now that he thought about it...just how in the world did he even find the Meta? He was still confused on how the kid even got to be inducted into the Freelancers in the first place, other than that Connie found him and they ended up fighting. There was still a lot to learned, it seemed.

...still, was it his imagination, or did that Florida dude sound a LOT like Captain Flowers? Upon this line of thought, Church shook his head. "Nah, no way." The idea that someone as peaceful or as cheery as his old Captain being a Freelancer was idiotic. Seriously, there was no way. At any rate, he'd have to look for a new memory. However, just before he could move on, the glitching suddenly began to warp and twist around. "The fuck?" Something was wrong...this feeling...Church wasn't sure what the hell was happening, but if the sudden shivers running down his spine were any indication, it was something very bad. The memory began to break apart, and seemingly put itself back together. Eventually, it formed back into a new scenery...a scenery he knew all too well.

"S-Sidewinder?!"

He'd recognize this shithole anywhere. Snowy peaks, a cliff overlooking a possibly freaking below 0 degrees ocean, and the entire field covered in white snow. However, behind Church was a giant ship, sparking and damaged with "MOTHER OF INVENTION" painted on the sides. The soldier from Blood Gulch looked around, shocked to see himself back at his old base before he noticed a familiar cyan-armored Freelancer lying on the ground, groaning and moaning. "Carolina?" he muttered. "The fuck happened?" Suddenly, the world began to glitch out again, red pixels slowly encroaching the world as Maine emerged into the scene, his Bruteshot carried on his back, and his signature helmet over his face. "...oh fucking hell."

He knew where this was going. And he was completely dreading what was going to happen.

The white armored Freelancer approached the downed cyan Freelancer. However, instead of helping her up, Maine grabbed her by the throat.

"W-what are you doing?!" Carolina cried as Maine ripped off her helmet, showing off her face. It showed betrayal, hurt, confusion - confusing at what was happening. Her face was reflected back at her in Maine's visor, and his hand gripped the base of her neck. It was only then that she realized what was happening, and her eyes widened further in horror. "N-no! NO!" With a tug, blood spewed as Carolina screamed in pain, her implants and AIs being forcibly ripped out. Maine looked at the two chips before he turned to Carolina.

Sigma then materialized atop his shoulder, giving the woman a cold, cruel smile. [Goodbye, Agent Carolina.]

The red haired woman was unresponsive as her body went limp, her mind shutting down from having their AI forcibly removed from her neural implants. Without batting an eye, Maine tossed Carolina's body over the edge of the cliff and into the freezing ocean below.

"NOOOOOOOOOO...!" Tex cried as she arrived at the scene.

Maine ignored her, simply watching as Carolina fell, her green eyes locked on him. He would have felt something from the sight...it should have...but it didn't. It was as if something had utterly dulled his senses. Instead, he briefly removed his helmet, inserting the chips containing Iota and Eta. He felt a connection made shortly afterward. He gave a low growl, feeling an uncomfortable feeling burden his head, but afterwards was a bliss of silence. As he placed his helmet on, he heard Texas running away. Church knew why. From inside the ship, he found the Director and Counselor, armed with guards, while carrying on object. She'd face resistance either way, so she chose the smart decision to flee.

Soon, the twin AIs manifested, staring at Sigma in confusion, wondering what was going on while he watched Texas leave. [You run, Agent Texas.] he said with a smirk on his face. [We are the Meta...and we will find you.]

A beat, then a laugh as he turned...right at Church.

[Just l _ **ike...you.]**_

"Wait, what the f-"

In the next second, the world broke apart, shattering like digital glass before he found himself falling.

"SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!"

He flailed around as he descended into the darkness, both panicking and questioning what the fuck just happened. Why did Sigma register that he was there?! His was supposed to be a memory for fuck's sale!

The world around him was just pitch black, though as he fell further and further into the unknown, it began to develop. Unfortunately, before he could make it out, he found himself slamming straight into what he assumed was the floor. "OW!" he shouted, tumbling through the ground before slamming into something hard, earning another cry of pain. "FUCKING BULLSHIT!" He growled angrily as he got up, rubbing his back. "Okay, I swear, if this is some Inception bullshit, I swear to fucking god, I'm going to ram my sniper rifle up someone's ass!"

 _ **[My my...how vulgar of you, Alpha.]**_

Church whirled around, coming face to face with the fiery AI that was the cause of all of this. Sigma, smiling smugly. Church scowled. "Let me guess...a little shit left behind after Sigma bit the dust back at that base." There was a hint of smugness in Church's voice as he said that, feeling slightly proud of that accomplishment. "What? You pissed about me killing you or something bro?"

 _ **[Hardly.]**_ Sigma's Phantom answered with a shrug. _**[I am fully aware that I am not truly Sigma, the AI that embodies your ambition and creativity...but I share his desires.]**_

"Okay, this is getting fucking old, and I am sick and tired of saying this shit over and over." the blue-armored soldier said in annoyance. "I. Am. Not. An. AI!"

Sigma's Phantom laughed. _**[Believe what you will, Alpha. Believe what you will.]** _ The remnants of the AI began to circle around Church, his smile never fading. _**[So, now you've seen Agent Maine...or rather, Jaune Arc's rise and fall. His death as a proud student of Beacon Academy and birth as the brute known as an agent of Project Freelancer. Quite the thrilling story, no?]**_

"More like shitty." Church snorted. "And you're partially responsible for it. I mean, really. Gathering the AI so you could be human? How fucking dumb ARE you?" He gave a snort, shaking his head. "Should have just stayed a dumbass inside a chip, asshole."

 _ **[Temper, temper.]** _ Sigma's Phantom wagged his finger. _**[No need for insults, Alpha.]**_

"Again, I am not Alpha! My name is Church! You got that, asshole?!"

In response, the ghost of the AI laughed. _**[How unfortunate. even now, you deny your own existence and identity. Well, I suppose that should be expected given the trauma you went through.]**_

Church scowled heavily. Once again, this was getting old real fast. "Okay, you know what?" he said, raising his sniper rifle. "Screw this." He pulled the trigger, and the familiar recoil rammed into his shoulder. The bullet struck Sigma's Phantom's head straight between the eyes. His body flickered out like flames, his smile never leaving as his form faded.

A second passed. Two, then three.

"...wait, that's it?"

THAT was all it took to take out the remnants of Sigma? A bullet to the head? Talk about anti-climactic...

However...he spoke too soon.

The earth beneath him rumbled. The platform filled with giant pieces of debris and metal quivered and shook about violently. The ground began to crack open. Church, wisely, chose to flee while he could, his feet pounding against the pavement as the cracks continued to trail after him, growing larger and larger.

"Oh, come on! I finally do a headshot, and THIS shit happens?!"

Eventually, what he assumed was the edge of the platform came into view. "Shit!" He was forced to skid to a stop, nearly falling over the edge. Below was what appeared to be a giant abyss of swirling colors, mostly red, green, purple, black and whatnot. Strangely, many complexes, either portions of a base or of buildings were floating around like some kind of demented cityscape, barely hanging on. Church turned, and much to his relief, the cracks stopped just short of his feet...though the giant chasm left open before him was disconcerning. "Well, great." he groaned. "A giant ass hole in a giant ass place. What else is this fucked up mind of yours gonna throw at me next, Meta?"

Only moments later did he regret tempting fate.

Once more, the world began to quake and shudder...only this time, it came from below rather than everywhere. Growling, monstrous sounds were heard from below. The quakes came in intervals, as if something was marching its way up. Sadly, the description was apt as a giant hand, made of rocky debris and warped metal, suddenly emerged up from the chasm in front of Church and slam down on the edge. Soon, a giant creature made its way up, pulling itself towards the surface and revealing its form to him.

It was a warped creature vaguely resembling a humanoid. It had two crouched legs and two lanky arms as long as its body. From its back sprouted appendages made of debris and metal. Its head held no discernable physical features aside from an open may and a translucent dome where its cranium should be. Within that dome was the fiery form of Sigma, grinning as he looked down at Church.

"You son of a bitch!" Church shouted, uncaring of the falling debris around him, as the deformed creature in front of him seemed to be unstable with bits of its body falling apart, nor the sheer gargantuan size of the monstrosity in front of him. "You did NOT just pull some Evil Within bullshit! You cock-sucking motherf-!"

He got no farther than that before one of the appendages lashed out at him, striking him and throwing off the platform and down to the broken world below him. His body went soaring through the air before it crashed into a slanted building, lying horizontal in mid-air. He wasn't about to question the physics, other than that inside the mind of someone as disturbed or as broken as Maine, anything went. He looked over his shoulder to find the amalgamated, grotesque figure that was Sigma's Phantom leaping down, landing at the base of the building and grabbing a Scorpion tank, throwing it straight at him. Immediately, Church rolled to the left, avoiding it for dear life. He was about to raise his weapon and fire at the bastard again...only to find it missing.

"Oh, you motherfucking cockbite!" Church shouted as he ran for dear life, avoiding the claws that would end him as they extended upward, dragging themselves down the building in an attempt to crush or grab him. "I swear, when I got my hands on a gun, I'm gonna-!" He was cut off when a Warthog landed in front of him, scaring the daylights out of him before moving around it, making his way up the slanted building in an attempt to try and escape from the damned thing. More hands came sprouting out from Sigma's Phantom's body, continuing to try and grab him or crush him or whatever it had in mind. He was also forced to evade more flying objects that came crashing down before him, damn near impaled by a flying electric pole. "God dammit!"

Eventually, he reached the top of the building, only to skid to a stop when he found himself at the edge of a spiralling abyss. A loud roar behind him made him turn his head to find the monstrosity crawling up the building, chasing after him with jaws agape, revealing rows of sharp metal and jagged pieces of concrete, ready to rip him apart. He looked to the side, and found a bus connecting to a hole inside an adjacent building. Quickly, he jumped into the opening, evading the creature as it whizzed past him.

"F-fucking hell!" Church cursed loudly as he crawled away from the entrance, expecting the monster to come out and glare at him. "Dammit...the fuck is wrong with this place?!"

[Church!] Delta's voice cried. [What's happening?! We're detecting abnormal brain activity!]

"NO SHIT YOU'RE DETECTING ABMORAL ACTIVITY!" Church screamed as he ran further into the building, dashing down the hallway and trying to get as far away from the damned thing as possible. "I'm inside his head, fighting some Evil Within Final Boss version of Sigma! I am running for my life in here! Can't you access the augmentations already?! I'd rather not get ripped apart here!"

[I've tried.] the Fragment of Logic answered regretfully. [Something is interfering with the process.]

"What?! Who?!" he snarled, only to take a moment and realize the cause. "...oh you have GOT to be fucking kidding me!"

[I'm afraid so. Unless you kill this...amalgamated phantom of Sigma, we won't be able to access the augmentations!]

Just as he reached the corner of a hallway, the building shook rapidly and nearly found himself thrown off his feet. He raised his arms in defense when the wall at the end of the hallway was blown apart, debris flying. As the dust cleared, his heart sank when he saw the growling and roaring face of Phantom Sigma's monstrosity.

Which promptly cued Church running for dear life.

[Play - Red vs Blue OST: Fragments]

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUUUUUCK!"

Church could honestly say, with the utmost certainty, he never cursed so much in his life. He was forced to jump over lopsided desks and dancing around flying shelves and appendages ripped open holes in the floors, ceilings and walls, often barring his way. He was about to reach the end of the hallway, where he could probably find a way out, when a giant mesh of concrete and warped metal slammed through the wall and right into him, sending him flying through the air. He was flailing about, hoping to latch on to something. To his luck, he grabbed on to the bed of a Warthog.

He was bewildered by the fact that it was floating in the air, but he wasn't about to question it as one of the appendages from the monstrosity latched on to it. "Okay, asshole!" Church snapped as he hopped into the gunner position and grabbed hold of the gatling gun. "My turn now!"

He pulled the trigger on the handles and let the turret spew out bullets at a speed of ten thousand rounds a second. The deformed beast roared as the bullets impacted its earthen and metal shell. The beast tried to defend itself by using its appendages, though he continued to fire away. For a moment, he was starting to wonder if this was how the Reds felt when on the gunner position. However, his thoughts were interrupted as one of the creature's appendages grabbed the front of the Warthog and started to swing him off to the side.

He grabbed hold of the turret for dear life. He struggled to stay on while the monstrosity tried to throw him off. He eventually got a good shot, and began to unload on his ass. A heavy stream of bullets tore through the concrete and metal appendages, blasting into the face. However, it did little to stop Sigma's Phantom as he gave a roar and threw him aside, sending the Warthog flying through the air. Church struggled to maintain his grip, but was unable it as he was thrown off. Worse, he must have REALLY pissed off god as he found himself impaled on a portion of steel sticking out of the wall.

"GAAAH!" Church roared in pain, seeing the giant slab of metal poking out through his stomach. "F-FUCKING SON OF A BITCH THIS HURTS! AAAH FUCK!"

He had no idea how this was even possible! He hadn't felt pain since he lost his human body! Was this...because he was in someone's head?! Why?! Dammit. this wasn't even making sense!

While he tried to pry himself off, he felt the world quake once again. Buildings were coming apart, and metal vehicles like the Pelican and shuttle off to the far end of the ruined cityscape, were coming together and meshing together. The amalgamation of muck and shit that was Phantom Sigma's monstrosity let out a guttering roar as a bridge was forming out of debris, concrete, vehicles and twisted and warped metal. Soon, it began to approach, crawling along while saliva seemed to drip out of the saliva falling out of its sickening mouth. Even though they were far apart, Church saw the smug smirk on the mental ghost's face.

"M-motherfucker!" he spat. As he struggled, a soldier wearing dark purple armor with green trims fell with a Warthog, though while the vehicle just barely missed him and fell down in a tumble, the corpse landed on a steel beam, danging there helplessly. In his hand was a rocket launcher. As he had no other weapons, Church tried to reach for it. The first two times, he had no luck. The constant quaking was also causing the corpse to slip, meaning he would soon fall down. On his third try, he finally grabbed hold of it.

"Yes! Got it!" He hefted the large weapon onto his shoulder and took aim directly at Sigma, hoping that he would be able to replicate that headshot from earlier.

"Okay, lady luck," he muttered under his breath. "I know, you seem to hate me for some reason and give me a bone every now then, but please, for fuck's sake...!" He kept his aim steady, and gently squeezed the trigger. "...don't let me fuck up!" With a pull, a rocket was sent flying. A trail of smoke danced behind it before it slammed into the monstrosity's body, stunning it for a moment as its armor was broken apart, revealing sinews of rotting, red and black flash. "YES! GOT HIM!" Church cheered, only to wince when he remembered he was still impaled on a piece of metal. Unfortunately, his celebration was short lived as Sigma's Phantom let out a roar of rage, shaking the air. He then remembered that he only hit a piece of the body, not the whole thing. Cursing, he quickly reloaded. In the meantime, the creature began to move up. Slamming the next shot in the tube, Church raised the launcher again and fired off another rocket. This one struck one of the appendages, blowing it straight off. Another wail of pain ripped from its throat as black puss spewed out. "HAH! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, MOTHERF-AAUGH!" He winced as he looked down at his chest. God dammit, this was starting to hurt like a bitch!

It seemed that the second rocket infuriated the bastard, as it tore off a piece of the bridge, a large chunk of collected metal and concrete, and tossed it at Church. He panicked and immediately went to load another shot, though thankfully it missed him and smashed into the wall, shaking the already unstable platform he was stuck on. As Sigma's Phantom continued its way up while ripping out another chunk, Church loaded the third rocket and fired.

The monstrous creature outstretched its arm and shot out its appendages in an attempt to grab Church, but the rocket quickly came in and exploded the moment it made contact with its face.

Nearly half of its face was blown apart, spewing out black gunk that gushed out like a dam breaking while bits of its armor flew through the air and crashing to the ground. Its arms and appendages flailed about, one of them lashing towards Church. "...oh god fucking-"

It slammed straight into him, blowing apart the portion of the building he was stuck on. While on the plus side, he was no longer stuck on that piece of metal. On the downside...he was now flying towards the abyss, where who knows what would happen. Best case, he'd just get kicked out of the Meta's mind and never be able to head back in, and suffer the wrath of six teenage hormonal girls. Worst case...he'd die for reals. Dissolved into mind goo or some shit.

Thankfully, however, someone up there must have had a fancy for him or something, as he found himself smacking up against the ground of a floating piece of land. "...ow." he groaned, rubbing his stomach. Looking down, he found digital particles trickling down his stomach. "Well...that was...a thing..." Whimpering, he tried to get back on his feet, only to fall flat on his back. "S-shit..." The earth shuddered moments later, causing him to groan as he looked up to find the damned amalgamation crashing to the ground. "W-well, fuck. I have a hole in my stomach, a crazy AI that looks like a giant Resident Evil slash Outlast reject, and I don't have a gun."

Once again, he must have done something right as a familiar long rifle clattered to the ground next to him. A sniper-rifle, to be exact.

"...Well, ain't that convenient?" Church mused as he hurriedly armed himself with his signature weapon. He checked the chamber and saw that he still had some rounds left. So he better make them count. He looked up and saw the fiend make its way towards him, a look of pure fury in its eyes. Its maw was opened wide, revealing the form of Sigma.

Taking a deep breath, Church raised the sniper rifle and aimed it at the fiery AI.

As the monstrosity charged at him, he pulled back the hammer and readied the rounds. The first shot came swift, missing completely and bouncing off one of the metal fangs. The second almost missed, but grazed one of the fleshy tendons keeping Sigma tied there. The third round struck the bastard in the shoulder, though it didn't quite stop him.

The damn thing was getting closer to him. At a certain range, it leaped up and opened its mouth even wider, as if to scoop him up. Church kept his aim straight. He had two bullets left...he had to make 'em count. Sucking in a deep breath, he lined up the sights, and pulled back the trigger, letting the second to last bullet fly.

This time, it struck the bastard dead center in the chest. A second later, the amalgation went flying right above his head, crashing into the ground and tumbling about, destroying the streets and buildings lining up before it crashed into the large tower at the very end.

The building crumbled as its foundation was destroyed and buried the creature in rubble. When it was all said and done, the dust from the collapse cleared, debris covering and weighing down the creature. Pieces of metal were stabbed into its limbs, pinning it to the ground. The only parts of it visible through the rubble was its head and Sigma in its open maw.

Groaning, the ghost got up. Somehow, he found the pain in his stomach dull and was barely able to feel it. Slowly, he rose up to his feet, letting out a small whine. "Holy fuck that hurts..." he hissed. "That's gonna hurt in the morning." He then looked up at the downed monstrosity and its horrible owner. Maintaining a neutral expression, Church walked up to the downed monstrosity, maintaining his grip on his trusty weapon.

He reached the head in moments, looking down on the fiery AI, whose form was dull and flickering. Sigma, in pain, shakily looked up to Church in the eye. [ _ **W...why?]**_ it wheezed. _**[D-don't you...understand? W-w-w-we...]**_ Phantom Sigma's voice glitched out, like Gamma's only more broken and in disrepair. _**[We could have...b-been h-hu-human...!]**_

The Blue Team leader of Blood Gulch stared at the phantom before pressing the muzzle of the sniper rifle right between its eyes. "Yeah, funny thing is...I'm already human, bitch."

He pulled the trigger.

The final round shot out of the barrel and tore through the remnant's head, effectively destroying him. His body glitched out, much like the effects he caused on the memories, before he shattered apart like glass. The remains broke apart into tiny specs of red light. Seconds later, the world around him began to glitch out as well, only instead of the red static that had annoyed him so frequently, it was blue static. At first, it only covered the damaged areas of the world, starting with destroyed buildings and streets. Soon, it encroached the sky. Then the empty voids between floating pieces of land. It eventually wrapped around him, thus consuming the world.

"About fucking time." Church huffed as he let go his rifle, which vanished into motes of light. He extended his hands, and soon the world became into a solid shape. Unlike previous times, this wasn't a memory, and it wasn't a restored cityscape. Rather, it looked to be some kind of base. Several walkways could be found along with various ramps leading towards the upper levels. Pieces of weaponry could be found scattered about as well as machinery and vehicles: Scorpion tanks, Warthogs, rifles, shotguns, swords, axes, pistols - everything that related to either the Meta or Jaune was found here. The blue soldier laughed, rather familiar with the setting. "Just like Caboose...only a hell of a lot fucking cleaner."

He turned to his head, looking around. As he did, he opened up the private channel. "Yo, D. One stupid and annoying as fuck AI ghost...dead and gone for good."

[So I noticed. Agent Maine's brain patterns have begun to stabilize and return to normal. According to Doctor Reed, this is as calm and peaceful as he has ever been since he first arrived in the medical bay a week ago.] Delta informed him. [Now we can access the augmentations. However, first things first. We must find Agent Maine's subconscious.]

Church frowned, cocking his head. "Why?" he asked. "I mean, can't we just go straight for the augments and fix him up straight away?"

[If we're to restore a small fraction of Jaune Arc, we must first make Agent Maine remember who he was before he became a Freelancer. To do so, we must show him a memory from his past. And to do that, we must find his subconscious. Given the mental damage caused by Sigma and the other AIs, however...that may prove difficult. It is possible Sigma has damaged those memories thoroughly to prevent any chance of Jaune Arc resurfacing.]

"Ugh...great."

[I will try and find a suitable memory. You focus on finding Agent Maine's subconscious.]

Church groaned. "Fine." he muttered. He felt the connection cut off, and went about to look for Maine's subconscious...whatever the fuck that was. Hopefully, it was going to be like Caboose's head and there was a Maine walking around here somewhere.

And preferably, one that wasn't gonna kill him.

* * *

"H-he's fine?!" Ruby said, eyes wide as she and the other girls crowded the bed. "He fixed him?!"

[Not quite.] Delta told them. [However, if things go well, he should be fully functional. That being said, I feel I should remind that, even if we restore a portion of Jaune Arc's mental state prior to becoming Agent Maine, he will not be the same man you all know."

Nora shook her head, tears pouring down her face in spite of the happiest smile she could muster. "Who cares?!" she cried in joy. "Leader's back with us! I don't care if-if he's not the same! He's-he's..." She soon broke down into hiccups, crying and clinging to Ren, who had the faintest smile on his face. Pyrrha, meanwhile, cried with Ruby as they watched Maine's sleeping face, hoping and praying that he would wake up.

In all the time he has slept there in that bed, he has never looked so peaceful as he did now.

* * *

After about an hour of searching, Church found what he assumed was the Meta's subconscious.

Unlike the Freelancer, it must have been when he was still a student of Oz's or whatever, as he looked noticeably younger. His face lacked the worn-out visage of a soldier: a tall young man with dark-blue eyes and messy blonde hair. He wore a white chestplate and shoulder armor, and underneath the armor was a black hoodie with reddish-orange sleeves and an emblem hidden underneath the chestplate. He also had on blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as sneakers with "left" and "right" written in black on the respective shoes' soles.

"Guess this is the guy." Church noted. "Still, talk about dorky looking." He walked up to the blonde teen. "Hey, Meta! Er, Jaune! Dude, hey!" No response. Frowning, he stepped in front of the boy...only to find a dead and lifeless look on his face. "Ugh, and emo too..." He opened up the channel again. "Hey, Delta. We've got a problem. I think I found the Meta's subconscious or whatever, but he looks like he's dead to the world."

[Understandable, given his experiences.] the AI noted. [However, it is possible to stimulate and repair his cognitive functions by showing him a memory. Preferably one with great emotional impact to serve as a trigger. What that may be, however, I am uncertain.]

Church groaned. "Great." In other words, if they were going to fix the brat, they needed to show him a memory that was emotional for him...but what would that be? It had to be something related to his past, or rather his past as Jaune Arc or whatever. But what could that be? "D, show me what little memories he's got left."

[Complying.]

The green fragment of logic uploaded the memories that were somewhat stable to him. Sadly, as he thought, most of the memories were degraded and broken down. It was a miracle that they were even still in semi-working condition. One of them, however, would let them wake this kid up. Question is...what memory would it be? As he looked through the memories, he stopped at one in particular. Beneath the helmet, his eyes narrowed. At first, when he was watching it, he felt like vomiting. Were he being honest, it was like watching a cheesy romance flick or whatever, but as he looked deeper into it...

"...Delta, show me his more recent memories. When he got back here in Remnant."

[What are you looking for, exactly?]

Despite asking the question, Delta showed him the memories of when he returned home. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a homecoming as he ended up fighting, and nearly killing his own friends. However, at one point, Church stopped the memory.

Right when Maine had Pyrrha Nikos dead to rights.

"...he stopped." Church whispered. "He couldn't kill her. Why?"

[A possible emotional attachment. From what I have observed through the memories, Jaune Arc was close with Pyrrha Nikos, viewing her as a dear friend and teacher. Additionally, her great resemblance to Agent Carolina may have also served as a factor."

"...Delta, I think I found the memory." Church told him. He then showed the AI the memory. "Think this'll wake up our Sleeping Beauty?"

[I believe so.] The green AI nodded upon viewing said memory. [It should be enough to provide the necessary stimulation.]

"Perfect." Church fist-pumped as he closed communications. He then turned to face the shell of Jaune Arc, memory in his hands. "Hey, buddy...I got something to show you." He held the memory up to Jaune's face, and let it run its course.

In the next second, the world was covered in light.

* * *

When the Meta opened his eyes...it wasn't in the middle of a forest, or a UNSC base or anything. Rather, it was a rooftop of some building. Above was a night sky, littered with stars. Strangely, the moon was fractured and broken. As he looked up, he stared at the man with a slight feeling of nostalgia.

"What..."

His eyes widened and touched his throat. He-he...he was able to talk?! He looked down and found himself wearing some kind of uniform. A black blazer with gold trims and a white dress shirt, complete with a red tie and black pants. He stared down at his hands, which felt...more clean. Smoother, if it made any sense. Not stiff or anything, and only his right hand had callouses. He didn't understand this. What was going on? Wait, why was he here in the first place? He could have sworn he was fighting those girls in that red forest? When he thought back to it, his mind raced back to the Carolina-look alike.

No...no. That wasn't her name. It was-

"I've always loved this place, you know?" Surprised, he turned around and found someone standing near the edge of the rooftop. She wore a similar uniform as himself, only instead of pants she wore a red and black skirt with black knee-high socks and brown loafers. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and her vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail. "I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the great view of Vale, or that the stars always shine so brightly here."

Maine wanted to ask her so much. Why were they up here? What were they talking about? Who...who was she...? But even though he could somehow speak here, the words refused to leave his throat.

There was a brief pause in the girl's voice before she continued on, giggling. "Strange, I know...but then again, maybe peace and quiet is the best thing for me. All of my life, I lived in Mistral, constantly pampered on by my parents and friends who just simply wanted to get know the girl they called Invincible. Then, of course, there was the people constantly asking me questions and asking me to be their friends...it was taxing, you know?" Another pause, and then she continued. "But, here at Beacon...everything's so different compared to him. Yes, there's the occasional fanboy who asks me the same typical questions, but the people I've met here...the people I've made friends with. They don't treat me like that."

She turned, and Maine's breath hitched.

In front of her was the girl from the forest, smiling widely and happily like there wasn't a single care in the world for her.

"And you were the first person who didn't know a single thing about me, Jaune." she said, either ignorant or unaware of his awed and shocked face. "You asked me questions that everyone knew the answers to." Her smile grew wider. "You...had no idea how happy that made me."

His heart melted as the girl smiled at him, as if she was happy that he was there. But...why would she be? He was a murderer...a monster...How could...how could someone like him bring joy to someone like her...?

His mind searched for the answers. Instead, all he could find were memories...memories that made his heart ache. Memories he thought he had long lost since Sigma vanished from his head. The smiling faces of his family from Project Freelancer. York and his grin, cracking jokes about his eye. Wyoming and his poor knock-knock jokes. North and his laughter, teasing South who had the angriest look on her face. Connie with a sheepish smile as she tried to slink into the background while Wash tried to convince her otherwise, smiling widely with a bottle of bear in hand. Carolina was shaking her head at their antics, yet even she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

This was the family...he destroyed with his own hands. Just remembering it was enough to make his hands shake. To his surprise, the girl's hands wrapped around his, making him look at her. Brilliant, warm green eyes stared back at his, her smile enough to make his heart race a thousand miles. "Jaune?" she said to him. "Can you promise me something?"

"W-what..." he choked. Strangely, his voice felt as if it had never been ripped apart by point-blank bullets. "What is it?"

"...promise you won't ever change."

At that moment...he finally remembered. The sudden flood was enough to make his eyes widen, tears spilling out. That's right...how could he have forgotten? She...she was his partner. The girl he met back at the locker room while he tried to flirt with the white-clothed girl who called him cute or something. The girl who thought he would make a great leader. The girl who pinned him to a tree during Initiation. The girl who helped him unlock his Aura. The girl who fought with him against the Death Stalker. The girl he fought with alongside two others, helping four girls fighting against a giant black bird. The girl who stood by his side, even after he told her the truth - something he was ashamed of.

She was...the Invincible Girl. Pyrrha Nikos. Member of Team JNPR.

HIS team.

 _'That's right...'_ he thought as the memory began to break apart into shards of light. Soon, even the red-haired girl holding his hands broke apart, yet he didn't mind it as he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the bliss that was silence. _'My-my name...it was...'_

After so many years...Jaune Arc finally remembered.

* * *

A single tear dripped from Jaune's sleeping face as Church emerged from him, panting. "Okay." he said slowly, turning towards the doctor and headmaster. "If he EVER goes through this bullshit ever again...go find another goddamn shrink. I am tired of this bull-"

"THANK YOU!"

"MOTHERF-!" Church cried, cringing from the loud shout as he turned to find Nora lunging at him, only to phase through him and hit the ground. "Dammit, woman! What is your problem?!"

"YOU DID IT!" Nora cried happily as tears of joy spilled from her eyes. "You...You fixed our leader! H-He's all better now...! Waaaah...!"

"Oh...well, you're welcome." He wasn't gonna lie...it was pretty weird for someone to thank him for this. To his surprise, he found the other teens in the room giving him similar looks. As much as he would have liked to have people thanking him, he was gonna have to put his foot down. "Okay, if any one of you is gonna do what sugar freak is doing, I swear to fucking god, I will haunt your asses forever."

"S-swear..." Ruby hiccuped, trying fruitlessly to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Church gave the girl a glare, opening his mouth...only to sigh and shake his head. "...I'll let you off with a freebie this time, Red." he said, earning a shaky smile from the girl before he turned to Delta, who still remained in Ozpin's Scroll. "So, Delta...kid fixed up or whatever?"

[Yes.] Delta bobbed his head. [Going by his brain patterns, Agent Maine-] The AI stopped, as if thinking for a moment before he continued. [-Jaune Arc's cognitive functions should be restored. Just in case, Doctor Reed and I will continue to examine his mental state and provide the mental care he will no doubt require.]

"I still find it amazing...] Krimzen whispered, staring at the boy in utter awe. "I never would have imagined such a thing was possible." He turned to the ghost, and tipped his head to him. "You're truly something else, Mr. Church."

"Eh, what can I say?" Church shrugged. "I'm just awesome that way. Hey, and I'm doing this shit for free too...even though I should be asking to get paid for this crap. I mean, seriously. What happened in his head? Total. Utter. Bullshit."

"What DID happen in his mind though?" The Doctor asked of him. On our side, we detected intense and erratic brain activity. We were afraid we were going to lose him."

"Long story short?" the ghost groaned. "A total Evil Within ripoff. I mean, seriously, somebody's gotta copyright their asses for doing this kind of shit and making me deal with it!"

"...beg pardon?"

Delta cut in, providing a more reasonable explanation. [The mental phantom of Sigma had altered Agent Maine's psyche into what could be described as literal hell. It manipulated and destroyed his mentalscape while Church tried to erase it. It was also the reason why we could not access the augmentations.]

"And now the danger has passed." Ozpin sighed, a heavy thought now cast from his heart. "Now, the only question is whether or not Mr. Arc will be able to become accustomed to life at Beacon here again." The man paused briefly, then developed a pondering question. "It would be a waste of talents, though. His strength is already Huntsman material." The looks Team NPR shot him were ones of horror. While they would agree with him in that Jaune's abilities were more worth him being out on the field, they couldn't stand the idea of him leaving. They wanted him to stay with them, however selfish the request was. Seeing this, Ozpin chuckled. "Relax. In the end, that decision rests with Mr. Arc." He then turned to Church, who looked at him in confusion. "By the way, James wishes to speak with you."

The white-armored transparent soldier folded his arms. "General Ironpuss?" he mocked. "What's he want with me?" He paused. "Wait, when did he even get here?"

[Approximately one hour, 28 minutes and 13 seconds ago.] Delta answered for him. [Additionally, he has brought one of the AI Fragments with him. Someone you know very well.]

"Really? Who?"

Ozpin gave the man a cryptic smile. "Why don't come along and find out?"

"Seriously?" Church growled. "What is it with you people and your cryptic bullshit?" Groaning, he reluctantly followed the man out of the room. Delta, naturally, came along for the ride. Thus, the teens were left in the infirmary with the doctor and Jaune.

"Why don't you all head back to your rooms and get some sleep?" Doctor Reed suggested to them, smiling kindly. "It's nearly curfew hour." When he saw them about to throw an argument, he held up a hand. "Don't worry. You came come and visit first thing in the morning. And on the off chance he wakes up before then, you all will be the first to know."

Reluctantly, the teens relented and slowly made their way back to their dorms, but not before spending a few more moments by their friend's side. The danger was over. The nightmare was over. All they had left to do now was to wait for him to wake up. Slowly, they all left. Pyrrha was the last to leave, looking at her leader for the longest time before a bitter smile crossed her lips. Gods, how she wished she could just watch him wake up right then and there...but no. For the time being, she could wait.

And good god was it going to be an agonizing wait.

* * *

"...were you seriously thinking about making the Meta a student?" Church asked as they stood in the elevator, looking at Ozpin curiously. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd so love to see him scare the ever-fucking shit out your prison's bullies, but dude. Come on. There's a reason me and the guys called him the Scariest Fucking Mute In The Galaxy."

"That is what he was known as as the Meta, a being made by Sigma's machinations. If what you claim is true, then that particular psyche is gone for good."

"Yeah, but dude, this is the first time I've done that sort of thing, even if Delta was helping me." Church insisted. "I'm just saying keep a close eye on him."

Ozpin smiled wistfully, quirking an eyebrow. "My word. You sound quite concerned for someone who tried to end your existence."

"W-what?!" the ghost was taken aback before growled. "Look, asshole, I am not worried about that bitch. He is just as big of a pain in the ass as the rest of the assholes back in Blood Gulch."

"Then why would you help him in the first place?"

"Because, whether I like it or not, you and that jackass general are my only way back home." he stated before he groaned. "To think I'd actually miss that shithole...and knowing my luck, Caboose is there too. Shit."

Ozpin didn't show it, but he had a knowing smile. 'What was that word Miss Adell once used?' he thought curiously. 'Tsundere, or something like that? I believe in Mistralian, it means 'softie.' He wasn't about to make a comment of it, however. He needed a fresh cup of coffee for that. The elevator let out a ding as it arrived at the top floor. As the doors slid open, Ozpin and Church stepped inside. At the desk was General Ironwood, looking out at the view of Vale from down below. "I hope you weren't waiting long, James." Ozpin said, announcing his arrival. The General turned, offering a small smile. "Though I doubt this is a social visit."

"I wish it were that." Ironwood rolled his shoulders, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, she was quite adamant that I bring her here. Especially when Penny told her Alpha was here."

Church growled. "How many times am I gonna repeat myself?! My name isn't-!" He stopped, however, when he registered what Ironwood was saying. "Wait...she? W-who're you-"

"Well, _buenos días_ , cockbite."

The ghost's transparent body froze. That...that voice. Slowly, he turned and found a soldier leaning against the wall next to the elevator door. Strangely, the soldier wore armor similar to the UNSC's Mark VI armor, only it looked more different. The armor looked much more sleek, if possible, and exposed a few portions of skin, which were covered by a black bodysuit. The soldier was female, evident by the hips and curves, with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail that came past the shoulders. Her eyes were sharp green, narrowed and dangerous, while a toothy grin, showing off shark-like teeth, was etched across her lips.

"Guess who's back?"

"TEX?!" In shock, Church rushed up to his ex-girlfriend. "Is that really you?, how are you here?! Where did you get that body?, I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought you were gone!"

Ozpin looked at the two, a curious look in his eye before he turned to Ironwood. "...is there a reason why she has a human body instead of being with Ms. Polendina?"

"Oz." James stared at the man with the utmost seriousness. "In all of my years as a proud member of the Altesian Military...I have fought off Bandits, Murderers, Anarchists and Grimm. I've even dealt with insubordination...but never once in my life have I dealt with a woman who hijacked an Altesian Knight, proceed to beat my soldiers half to death, and bend a man to submission."

The headmaster stared at his friend, deadpan, before he spoke up. "...in other words, she forced you to give her a body." he stated with finality, quirking an eyebrow. "A body that looks suspiciously like a human being."

"I'll tell you on the way." Ironwood promised him before looking at the two at the other end of the room. "I feel like we're in the middle of a touching moment, and...well, you get the idea."

Ozpin chuckled a bit, but nodded. He gave a small bow to Texas before he and the General entered the elevator. Once a destination was set, the doors closed and the carrier descended downwards, thus leaving the two alone.

For the longest time, there was an awkward silence between them. Church tried to find something to say, anything really, but it was all stuck in his throat. He'd look up at Tex, only to turn his head away. God dammit, what the hell was this? Some kind of awkward teen confession?! Texas seemed to be waiting for him to say something, evident by her stare as she folded her arms, expecting him to open his mouth. Whenever he did, she quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he was gonna say. Eventually, the ghost settled on something.

"...so."

"So." Texas repeated with a grin.

"Um...okay, god this is fucking awkward...h-how've you been?"

Texas shrugged. "Eh, little worse for wear." she said nonchalantly. "One thing waking up in a place you don't recognize, which is enough to make you panic. It's another thing when the last thing you remember is getting your ass handed to you by a former colleague."

"So you WERE there at Valhalla!" Church exclaimed, hope in his chest. "I fucking knew it! B-but wait...Wash said your body was in the Blue Arm Base, b-but it wasn't there."

Texas quirked an eyebrow, curious. "Wash?" she asked, surprised. "Wait, you met Wash?"

"Yeah. Asshole brought Caboose along with him. Apparently, because of the Meta and bullshit, he decided he needed help from guys who had experience with AI." His eyes hardened as he folded his arms, growing hostile. "Oh, which reminds me...what the fuck was that all about?!"

"What was what all about?"

"You leaving!" he threw his arms up. "Taking Tucker's alien abomination of a kid with Omega and Gamma along for the ride so that you could win the motherfucking war! REALLY great to watch as your girlfriend goes off to enslave an alien race! And then, a year later, comes to find out she got hunted down by the scariest fucking mute in the universe, and she's nowhere to be found!"

Texas scowled. "Hey, me leaving you idiots at Blood Gulch was for a good reason!"

"What reason?! Other than, what, you were so obsessed with winning the war because you wanted the Director's approval?!" Texas' eyes flared with rage, hearing that name. However, Church was too caught up in his rant to even care or notice. "I saw the Meta's memories, Tex! The Director was a motherfucking asshole who ruined people's lives! I saw HOW the Meta came to be, and what kind of fucking idiot the Director was! How in the fucking hell could you work for someone like that?!"

"You don't know anything!"

"I KNOW ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT HE'S A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT AND BECAUSE OF HIM, PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME A FUCKING AI!"

The room grew silent after Church's scream, save for his heavy, enraged breathing.

Tex stared at him with wide eyes. After several moments, her mouth opened up to speak. "...So you really don't remember..."

"Remember what?! That I'm sort of AI? The Alpha of Project Freelancer?! Bullshit! My name is Leonard L. Church and I am fucking human! I mean, seriously! What kind of idiot do they take me for?! I remember my life from day 1! I remember being able to take a shit until Caboose went and blew my ass up!" Church gave a low growl as he paced around the office. "God dammit, I'm starting to remember why I hate that place!"

Texas stared at him as he paced around, ranting and waiting patiently for him to finish. After a minute or two, Church was left winded and out of steam, panting heavy and shaking. "...you done?"

"Maybe." he answered before turning to her. "And you still haven't told me why the fuck you left."

The blonde woman sighed. "It's...complicated."

"Try me, Tex."

"...what do you know about the Meta?"

Church frowned, cocking his head to the side. "I just told you I know his life story. Before this Project Freelancer bullshit, he was apparently a student at this school, which teaches kids to be fucking monster hunters mind you, and he somehow ended up being found by the Director, Connecticut or Connie or whatever found him, kicked his ass, brought him back, and then they wiped his memories so that he would be an obedient little soldier...and then they implanted Sigma in him, and shit went to hell and a handbasket faster than Caboose ever could."

"And what was the Meta after?" Texas continued, confusing Church even further. Where was she going?

Even so, he humored her. "The AIs."

"And how many AIs were in Blood Gulch?"

"What is this? A fucking game of twenty questions? There was only one. O'Maelly, or Omega, or whatever his name is." Church replied. "Well, two if you count Wyoming bringing in Gamma. Why?" Texas stared at him. Eventually, the answer came. And it made him pale. "...you gotta be kiddin'."

"I had...a few friends in Project Freelancer left who were keeping tabs on the Meta's movements." Texas said as she moved over to the window, showing the spectacular view the Headmaster stared at every day in this office. The first time she saw it, it was beautiful. Yes, she learned the history of the Meta's homeworld...and yet it looked more beautiful than any city she's ever come across. Was it because it wasn't as heavy industrialized as other planets? Or because it was far away from the UNSC? At any rate, she loved the view. "It was getting dangerously close to Blood Gulch. Enough that it would notice the abundance of AI there."

Church stared at her back, gaping. "Y-you...you were leading him away."

The blonde-haired woman let out a chuckle. "You were right about the Director being a piece of shit." she said. "More than...you could ever imagine." She closed her eyes, remembering her time in the program. Admittedly, she wasn't very close with the others. Before she received Omega, she had been acting on her own, thinking it would be best to distance herself from others. She felt like...she didn't belong there. Eventually, she knew why. "When I was still with Project Freelancer, I used to believe in him as badly as Carolina did. Constantly fighting for his approval. Didn't take me long to figure out that, even before I officially joined the program, he saw me as his favorite."

"Why?" the ghost asked. "I mean, it wasn't like you two knew each other or anything. Hell, you were a newbie."

To Church's surprise, Texas left her body. Her transparent, black-armored form, the one he was so used to seeing, stepped out into view, standing next to her now empty shell. Her hands gently came to touch the glass, only to phase through it. She gave a heavy sigh. "It was because...I reminded him of a possibility."

"Possibility?"

"Wash told you how the AIs were fragments of Alpha, right?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "That each one embodied a raw emotion?"

"Yeah...O'Malley, or Omega or whatever, was its rage, and Delta is the logic, right?"

"Right. Sigma was ambition and creativity, Theta was its trust, Gamma its deceit, and the twins, Iota and Eta, were its happiness and fear. Each was assigned a partner. York was given Delta, North Theta, Wyoming Gamma, and Carolina with Iota and Eta. Maine was given Sigma in order to communicate better. Then there was Epsilon, who embodied the Alpha's memories."

"Which went insane inside Wash's head." Church quipped, only to look at her in confusion. "Tex...where are you going with this?"

"...what they didn't tell you was that there was another AI spawned from the Alpha. Unlike the others, it wasn't based on emotion, but rather it was like Epsilon. It was based on memories...to be more accurate, it was based on the memories of a certain someone." Texas sighed again, shaking her head as she stared at the city below. "Like all AIs, the Alpha was based on the mind of a living person. That person was the Director, meaning it had all of his memories. The Fragment that spawned from Alpha for the first time was the reason why the Director began to experiment on it, breaking it down and creating fragments like Delta and Sigma. It was based on a person in the Director's life...someone he cared about."

"Who?"

"His dead wife."

Church's face fell upon hearing this revelation, his jaw dropping. At that moment, a sharp pain stabbed into his head, reminding him of a certain incident back in Maine's head, when the other AI's went out of control after hearing the name...

"...Allison..."

"Yeah. Her name was Allison." Tex replied without turning. "She was a soldier of the UNSC and was sent to fight in the war. As you can guess...she never made it back home. The very first AI Fragment that came from Alpha was based on her. Unfortunately...she wasn't perfect. To the Director, she was a woman who...never kept her promise of coming home. Because of that, the fragment was always going to fail, just when the goal was within reach." The girl then returned to her body, fading into it. Her green eyes lit up with emotion as she removed her palm from the glass, stepping away. "Around the time I left Project Freelancer, I tried to find the Alpha."

Church stared at her in surprise. "You did?" he said, surprised to hear this. He then remembered Wash once telling him that. in the past, Freelancers had once tried to infiltrate Command and take the Alpha. "Wait...you were the one leading those Freelancers when breaking into Command?"

"Yep." Suddenly, Texas' voice turned saddened, looking down at the floor rather than the city. "When I found him, he...he didn't even know who he was anymore. He couldn't remember anything. I wanted to just grab him and leave, but...I couldn't. In the end, I had to run...not just from the truth, but also from Maine...or what was left of him. Then...about a month later, one of my contacts, a guy named Florida, told me they were moving the Alpha to someplace safe."

She turned, and Church's eyes widened. Tears were spilling down her face.

"A little box canyon in the middle of nowhere, stuck with a bunch of red and blue idiots."

"T-Tex," Church stuttered, unconciously taking a step back. "W-what are you saying?"

"Church...what is my name?"

"You...y-you're name...it's..." Church knew full well what her name was...but couldn't bring himself to say it, knowing what it would mean. "I-I mean, come on! Just because you have the same name as her doesn't mean-"

"My full name, Church." Tex pressed. "What was it?"

"It-it's..." he choked as his mind was starting to process everything. His stomach had dropped when she described the exact place she was talking about. As far as he knew, there was only one box canyon. The facts were slowly piecing themselves together in his mind. Box canyon. Red and Blue teams. Moving the Alpha. Tex of all Freelancers showing up when called. Sigma calling him Alpha. He wanted to deny it. He wanted deny it. He wanted to believe he wasn't an AI. That he was human. That he once had a human body. That he ate, drank, slept and crapped like any other person.

And yet...in spite of everything he told himself, there was one glaring obvious fact. A fact in his memories that destroyed that belief of his.

And it was two, simple words.

"...Church. A-Allison...Church."

"Exactly..." Tex nodded somberly. "I am...the AI based on the memories of her...memories fragmented from you, Church."

For the longest time...there was nothing but the cold, chilling silence. "...God fucking dammit..." Church swore as he struck the wall next to him, his fist phasing through. "Why? Why didn't you tell me any of this?!"

"What was I supposed to say, Church?!" Tex rounded on him, gritting her teeth. "That you and I weren't human at all?!"

"When you put it that way I...I...I don't know!" Church threw his hands into the air. "I just...god dammit all!"

He was frustrated beyond belief. Not only was he given irrefutable proof that he really WAS and AI, it also means that he was based on the Director of all people! Fuck! Why the hell did things turn out the way they did?! Moreover, how the fuck is-?! God, he couldn't even THINK straight because of all this shit!

At this moment, he REALLY wished he was back at Blood Gulch. Then he wouldn't have had to deal with this shit! What happened to the good old days when things just used to be simple and all he did was just stand around, talking and trying to keep Caboose from killing him?!

Slowly, Church turned away from Texas, staring at the wall in anger. He would have punched it, were it not for the fact that his body - his digital body - was not even real and would just phase through it. It pissed him off to no end. Was it maybe just better if he stayed ignorant about all of this? To pretend everything was just a lie and he was just a ghost?

"...hey." Texas said. To his surprise, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He craned his head to find her body standing where it was, and the girl herself outside of her new shell again, holding on to him. "For what it's worth...I still think you're a ghost."

Church huffed, turning his head away. "Not much consolation there." he said, still angry. "I mean, I had to more or less accept the fact that I'm based off of a dick who can't let go of the past."

"Wrong." Texas said firmly, squeezing him tightly. "You're you. Leonard L. Church. Private of the Blue Army. And...you're my boyfriend. Nowhere do I see someone who's based off an old fossil."

Church was surprised by this. This...this was the first time that Tex comforted him like this. It felt...strange...strange yet good.

"...since when did you turn into a down-home girl?"

"Shut it, asshole. I ain't doing this again."

Church laughed a bit, feeling much better. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Texas, enjoying the embrace. He knew he wouldn't ever have a chance like this again. _'This time.'_ he swore in his head. The black-armored Freelancer noticed how he seemed to tighten his grip around her, but said nothing. ' _This time...I'm not letting you say goodbye again.'_

Had anyone noticed it, they would have seen his white, transparent body flicker sapphire blue.

 _'I fucking hate it when you say goodbye.'_

* * *

"...so Miss Polendina is...?"

James nodded gravely. "Yes. A researcher of ours, Gepetto, had always been curious about the idea of trying to artificially creating a soul...but I never imagined that he would go as far as he did." The worn General sighed, shaking his head as he strolled through the empty halls of Beacon as the two made their way to the courtyard where they would part ways. "While I am deeply impressed, part of me can't help but wonder what went through his mind."

"I had found it bizarre that Miss Polendina resembled his late daughter...now I understand why." Ozpin noted. "I assume her being synthetic in nature explains why Agent Texas had a body of her own?"

James leveled a good-hearted glare at Ozpin, scowl accompanied. "Oz, I'd like to see you tell a woman who can take down your men and demolish an Altesian Paladin with her bare hands 'no.' I'm many things, but I am not suicidal."

"I'd certainly hope not."

"At any rate...what do you intend to do with Jaune Arc?" the soldier inquired. The two men stopped just short of the corner as James turned to face his friend fully, face serious. "He may technically still be a student...but we both know that, after what he's experienced, he can't lead a civilian life anymore. If anything, he'd get antsy just from trying to live that life."

The headmaster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm fully aware of that, James. I'd have half a mind to give him his Huntsman license...but his team has been waiting for him to come home. After what happened with STRQ, I would rather have a cold day in hell before I allow a repeat of that."

"Oz..." James' eyes softened. So, even after all this time, the loss of one of the greatest teams Beacon had the pleasure of knowing still weighed heavily on his mind. "What happened that day wasn't your fault."

"Believe me, James, I tell that to myself every day." But even as he repeated it to himself, there was still doubt within the depths of his mind. That the tragedy that happened truly was his fault. He tried to remove such thoughts, shaking his head before addressing another matter. "At any rate...what do you intend to do with the AI Fragments?" he asked his old friend. "They would make a great contribution to the military. Although..."

"Although it would raise questions as to how we acquired them." James nodded in agreement. "Which would also put Jaune Arc at risk. My men are sworn to secrecy and all my bases are covered...though that hasn't stopped the council from being nosy."

Delta suddenly emerged from Ozpin's Scroll, standing close to the man's shoulder. [General Ironwood, if I may.]

"What is it, Delta?" He asked.

[I believe I have the solution to our predicament. According to the data I have gathered, logic would dictate that the best course of action would be to keep the existence of the Fragmented AIs a secret from not only the Altesian Council, but also the Vale Council. Our existence would not only launch a probable investigation into General Ironwood's facility, which was built without their sanction, but also Special Officer Polendina's unique nature. These situations alone would lead to General Ironwood being court-martialed and imprisoned, as well as an investigation on Headmaster Ozpin.]

The two men shared a look at one another before turning to Delta, curious looks present. "And...what do you suggest?"

[As Church stated earlier, the two of you are our best possible way to return home. Additionally...] He turned towards Ironwood. If possible despite him being nothing but calculations, numbers and otherwise pure logic, there was a hint of smugness in his voice. [You are also having trouble accessing Agent Maine's armor.]

"So...you are suggesting a negotiation?" The General inquired.

[Indeed. As AI Fragments of Project Freelancer, we are well versed in the technology used by our Agents. That includes their armor. In exchange for helping Church and Agent Texas find a way to return to our homeworlds, I shall offer my assistance in anything regarding Project Freelancer, as well as Altesian Military operations, to the best of my abilities.]

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "Just those two?" he asked, noting how he did not include himself. "Do you intend to stay behind in Remnant?"

[I feel my services are better spent here.] Delta reasoned. [Additionally, there were a great number of individuals who wished to obtain items related to Project Freelancer. That includes the AI Fragments.]

"Ah. In other words, you wish for asylum. I assume this includes other AIs?"

[I have already spoken with Theta in regards to this matter. As for Omega...] The was a brief pause before he continued. [I believe it would be best if he remains in Special Officer Polendina's care.] He then turned back to the General. [How is his restoration process?]

Ironwood groaned. "Slow." he told the AI. "He must have been hit the hardest by the EMP. It will take a bit longer to restore him properly."

Delta nodded. [Understood.] Suddenly, the green holographic soldier became outlined in red. [Incoming call from Agent Texas.]

"A call?" the headmaster asked, surprised before looking up at James. "I wasn't aware you gave her a scroll."

"I didn't."

Frowning, the Headmaster shrugged before he answered. "Hello, Agent Texas. This is Headmaster Ozpin speaking. How may I help you?"

"For starters, a chance off this rock." came the swift and somewhat hostile reply. "Is it possible?"

Ozpin looked at Ironwood for an answer. The General was hesitant at first, but then gave a nod. "Theoretically." he chose to answer. "From what I saw in his earliest memories prior to Sigma's tampering, Mr. Arc's suit had malfunctioned and activated his equipment, which transported him here and left behind a copy of himself in the process. It could be possible to replicate the same circumstances."

"Good enough." Texas huffed. "By the way...Church told me your school teaches kids how to fight."

Warning bells suddenly went off in Ironwood's head. Instantly understanding what the woman wanted, he gave Ozpin a look of horror. "Oz..."

"That is correct." Ozpin answered, fully aware of the look his friend was giving him, evident by his smile. "Are you, perhaps, interested in a teaching position?"

"Damn right." The black armored Freelancer answered without missing a beat. "I don't know what type of combat training these kids have...but compared to Maine and I...they're going to need all the held they can get."

"On that, we agree." Ozpin answered just as quickly. Given that these students would be thrown out in the field, where death was almost assured, especially while SHE was still out there, they would need all the assistance and knowledge they could get. Who else to teach them the most basic of fundamentals in the most brutal way possible than someone who apparently knew how to break bones on a daily basis? "I'll speak with Ms. Goodwitch. She has been in the need of a good assistant...as well as someone who can keep them in line."

Texas chuckled evilly. "Trust me, they'll behave."

"On another note..." Ozpin continued as a thought crossed his head, leaving an evil smirk on his face. "I have a favor to ask Church. Would you put him on the phone for a moment?"

* * *

Pyrrha was the first to wake up in the morning, which was surprising as it was usually Ren who was up at the crack of dawn. The sun was just barely shining through the blinds when she began to get dressed. She tried to wake up Nora, arguably the easiest to wake up out of the three of them, though surprisingly she was stubborn about staying asleep. Honestly, the Mistral Champion could not blame her. After the rollercoaster of events that had been happening these past few weeks, what with Jaune suddenly returning in the worst way possible, watching how he had changed to what would be known as the Meta, and then to him finally being fixed by a 'ghost' of all things.

Needless to say, she didn't blame anyone who wanted to sleep in right now. Hell, she could swear she heard her own bed call out for her. However, her concern for her partner and friend overruled the beckoning of the comfort of her bed. Letting out a yawn, she rubbed the sand out of her eyes and left the room. Ren would probably wake up in a little while. In the meantime, since she was up early, she would go see how Jaune was doing. The doctor did say they could visit him first thing in the morning.

She quickly made her way down to the infirmary. She may have been hoping too much, but she hoped Jaune would wake up. In little time, she arrived at the infirmary. True to the doctor's word, the door was unlocked. All equipment, sans the standard medical ones needed to monitor a patient, were present. Krimzen Reed was nowhere to be found, meaning he was either out at the moment or he had left. Much to her disappointment, Jaune was still asleep.

However, the good news was that his features appeared noticeably softer and more relaxed, not like the gruff and tense expression his unconscious form wore just a couple of days ago. He also wasn't as pale as he was before. If anything...his features were starting to look like they were back to normal. SHe sighed in relief, knowing that he was going to be alright now.

She pulled one of the chairs out from the corner of the room, taking a seat next to him at the bedside. As she did, she gently leaned over and brushed away some of the strands of hair in his face. _'His hair has gotten so long and messy,'_ she thought with a small frown. _'Did he not take good care of himself?'_ Then again, she probably should've already known the answer. He had been a pawn of a rampant AI for years, continuing to seek and recover the other AI fragments. Sigma had no concern for Jaune's hygiene unless it affected his efficiency in battle.

When he wakes up, she was definitely going to give him a haircut. For now though, all she could do was wait for him to open his eyes. She paused for a moment, and her eyes widened while a blush formed on her cheeks. _'What am I, his mother?'_

She was embarrassed by herself. Here she was, watching over her partner and waiting for him to wake up. Then again, it was justified for her. It had been her fault that Jaune was put into that situation and ended up the way he did. Therefore, she believed she had a right to be acting like this. Regardless, the red-haired spartan warrior gave a sigh as she gave a quick look around, hoping to occupy her mind with other thoughts. 'It really is empty here.' she noted, wondering why she has yet to see a single injured student come here. _'I remember Professor Peach once mentioning she wished she had more students to look after here, since she spends most of her time here as the school nurse.'_

Come to think of it...she hadn't really seen the professor during their time viewing Jaune's memories.

Maybe she was busy on an errand or something? Then again, she has rarely seen her teacher, so perhaps she was often scarce. Suddenly, her stomach let out a low grumble, making her realize that she has yet to eaten. Now that she thought about it, Jaune would probably be hungry when he woke up. She gave another quick look around, and to her pleasant surprise, she found a small basket of apples nearby. "Perfect." she muttered as she stood up. Walking over, she grabbed one of the apples, giving it a once-over and a small sniff to see if it was still good and did a little search. She found a small plate off to the side next to the medicine cabinet, and simply grabbed one of the scalpels to use as a makeshift knife.

She hoped that the professor wouldn't mind using a medical tool for this situation. She then used the blade of the scalpel to peel the skin off the fruit.

As she worked, she failed to notice the twitching of Jaune's fingers, nor the shifting of his eyelids.

* * *

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!"

Ozpin cringed, tapping his ears to see if his ears were working properly. For an AI, Church was certainly capable of screaming with a pair of digital lungs. "It is as I said." the Headmaster said calmly. "I want you to act as Mr. Arc's translator, should he decide to remain at Beacon."

"Fuck that shit!" Church growled angrily, glaring at Ozpin as if he was expecting the man to spontaneously combust on the spot. "I am not gonna be his goddamn babysitter and end up force to spend my precious time being around a bunch of horny teenage brats!"

He refused to do so. He's already been through enough shit thanks to Maine. And he sure as hell wasn't going to deal with him anymore. His job was over. Done. The kid's going to be waking up any day now and he has no need to interact with him anymore. That, and the last thing he needed was to be around a bunch of kids who couldn't keep their things in their pants. Seriously, who wants to see that shit?!

"Give me one fucking good reason why the hell I should work as his goddamn translator!" Church demanded.

Ozpin took a drink from his mug of coffee. A looooong drink. Then he smiled. "Because Agent Texas has applied for a teaching position here at Beacon."

A second passed. Two, then three.

"...you know what, Oz? I fucking hate you."

* * *

After slicing through the apple for the final time and making sizable cuts, Pyrrha set the small plate down on the table next to the bed. "Hopefully nobody eats them before he wakes up." she hummed to herself before a downcast expression formed on her face. "If...he wakes up." She quickly shook her head. No, she shouldn't think like that. It was done and over with. Sigma's control over him was finally out of his systems. He was fine. He was going to be fine. But...he wouldn't be the same. She knew that more than anyone. After all, how could anyone be the same after going through several years of being molded into a soldier?

"Why couldn't things be simple?" she sighed, shaking her head. As she stared at her hands, fidgeting with her skirt, she saw slight movement from Jaune. "Huh?" She looked at his form, eyes widened as she watched subtle twitches rumbled through his bodies.

Then, finally, after several seconds, his eyes opened. The blonde's eyelids fluttered a bit, his eyes adjusting to the light. Soon, they became wide open and scanned his surroundings. Just where was he...?

As he turned his head, he found Pyrrha staring back at him, tears threatening to fall from her face. "J-Jaune..."

The male teen opened his mouth to try and speak, but all that escaped his lips was a series of growls and hisses, all due to his damaged vocal cords. His hand touched his throat, scowling. Dammit, he had forgotten that. His head ached slightly, which only added to his irritation. Even still, there was no stopping the feeling of his heart soaring. He knew her...he knew her. This girl...she was his partner, right? Pyrrha Nikos, the Mistral Champion. The Invincible Girl. And he was...the leader of a team? Dammit, his memories were still so skewed...

"J-Jaune, hey!" Pyrrha panicked as he sat up, removing his covers. He winced a bit as he felt his body aching. Why did he hurt so much? Was it from the fight before in the forest? "Y-you shouldn't move!"

He turned to look at her. He wanted to talk to her, but without a voice to actually speak, that made things difficult. Then an idea came to mind. Roughly, he grabbed her hand, which caused her face to light up like a Christmas tree with cherry red dusting her cheeks. However, she paused in confusion as his finger danced around in his palm. It only a taken a second to realize what he was doing when she watched the finger move about.

 **'You're...Pyrrha, right? My partner?'**

"Y-Yes. That's right. My name is Pyrrha Nikos...and we're partners." The red head nodded strongly.

 **'I see...thank you. My memories are a mess right now...'**

"It's fine!" she said, perhaps a bit too forcibly as Jaune gave her a look. She looked away, abashed as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "S-sorry, I'm just...really happy you're here again." Tears spilled from her face as she smiled widely, surprising him. "A-and...for what it's worth...welcome home."

For a while, he wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, he gave a small grin and wrote,

 **'...I'm home, Pyrrha.'**

* * *

Preview:

 _ **When a soldier returns home, it is a time of celebration for his loved ones. Though, often at times, it is hard for a soldier to become re-acquainted with the life he left behind so long ago.**_

...

...

...

"Hey, pal." Church materialized atop Jaune's shoulder, surprising Cardin as he looked up to find the AI practically smirking at him, in spite of the fact that he was wearing a helmet. "Since you're gonna be too fucking shell-shocked to process what's about happen, I'm just gonna say this one line for you."

"W-what line?!" he squealed before Jaune reared the mace back, his target in sight. Only now Cardin realized where he was aiming, and all color drained from his face.

Just as Jaune swung, Church shouted with sadistic glee, "Son of a bitch!"

...

...

...

 _ **However...in some cases, the return of a soldier can also signify the coming of a great change. What kind of change, nobody knows. In the end, it all comes down to the perspectives of the ones who watch the soldier take to a new, unexpected battlefield.**_

...

...

...

"Agent Arc, are you prepared for this?" the voice on the comm asked him. "I understand that this is your first time back on the field since you returned. Are you sure you're up for this?"

Church scoffed. "Lady, if we had it our way," he said mockingly. "We'd be back in that shitty dorm room, stuck with a genderbent Caboose with a hammer and on a sugar rush."

 _'I'd rather be hanging out with the guys than do this.'_ Jaune replied to his partner. _'Though I have to admit...'_ A grin formed on his face, slamming his fist into an open palm. _'I'm kind of looking forward to this.'_

"Yeah, well, just don't go Meta on me, alright? I am not going back in your head anytime soon."

...

...

...

 _ **Whatever the case may be, for better or for worse...welcome home, Agent Maine.**_

 _ **Just better hope you don't regret it.**_

...

...

...

ARC II: Memories of a Wayward-bound Soldier - END

* * *

 **A/N:** HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK! 19,294 words long is this motherfucker! Hahahaha! Well, ladies and gents...we are now officially done with the recollection and memories of Seasons 9 and 10! I...have to admit, the quality of this chapter isn't exactly the best as I would have liked. Specifically, the scene with Tex and Church. I feel like that could be handled better.

Sadly, there's a reason for that...I'm afraid the Summer Cold has once again claimed me, and I'm battling for betterness. Thankfully, I've got my own replica of Sarge's shotgun and waging war against the germy bastards!

At any rate...answering a few questions that will probably be raised. If you are one of the readers who reads closely, you'll notice that I made up a bit of backstory to how Penny was made. Obviously, I took liberties with it since it wasn't explored all that much, though it is obvious that Penny was based after Pinocchio, so I based her backstory off of that. I'll dive more into that as the story progresses.

Secondly, Texas' new body. Obviously, the armor is different from the typical Altesian armor, but I can assure you, they haven't fully replicated the armor. In fact, even if they did, it would be more of a serious downgrade from the standard armors in RvB. It is more of a style of preference of Tex and also a failed attempt at recreating UNSC armor technology, though it is obviously a bit tougher than an Altesian Knight. And yes, they built her new body in the same way they built Penny, so in a way, the two are like sisters. Oh, the FUN I shall have with that!

Third, Church's acceptance of being an AI. This was, arguably, one of the toughest scenes I've tried to write. I was confused how to go about it, and eventually I decided to say 'fuck it' and wing it. Personally speaking, I think Church must have realized the truth of who he might have been when Wash told him and he would have remembered the one fact about his girlfriend that he had to have been denying: her full name. Since Texas and Allison Church are one of the same and its one of the few intact memories Church inherited from his time as Alpha, if a bit twisted, there is no way he would have missed that fact. Hopefully, I did good somewhat on this part while trying to incorporate the typical relationship he and Tex have while working out the problems that will come out from this.

Fourth, the number of AIs present. Including Church and Tex, there are now four of the seven remaining AIs functional. Gamma and Sigma were destroyed, meaning only Theta, Iota and Eta remain. As Delta said, Theta is still being repaired, but is somewhat in working condition. Omega is still with Penny, and Delta is now officially working with the Altesian Military. Tex is now apart of Beacon Academy's working staff...and boy, let me tell you. CRDL's life is gonna be fucking hell, if the preview I gave you was any indication.

Lastly...the preview says it all. Yes, Jaune will, at some point in the next arc, be returning to the field as an Altesian Agent. I can't give away spoilers, but I am making a few events to spruce up Volume 2 since Jaune will be more involved than Team JNPR was previously.

Well, I think that's it. Until my cold is gone, I will out of commission, but make no mistake...I'm still armed and ready.

Later losers, and I'll see you next time!


	12. Volume 2: Chapter I

_To the Professor and Headmaster of Beacon Academy, from the Vale Supreme Council Chairman.  
_

 _Dear Professor,  
We are pleased to learn that you have chosen to head our suggestion and investigate the mysterious energy reading at the Emerald Forest. Given the current situation with the recent surge of Grimm activities, as well as the sparse number of Huntsmen in the Kingdom spread out, investigating any unusual activity is paramount. Especially in these troubles times of ours.  
That being said...I noticed a bizarre error in your report. The two teams you sent to investigate - RWBY and JNPR - were recorded to have encountered resistance. Nowhere, in the report, does it specifically say what sort of resistance they encountered.  
The Grimm attacks have not been our only primary concerns. We have been receiving reports that movement of the Branwen Tribe has been increasing since our failed attempts to investigate the Grimmlands. I doubt we need to remind you of the dangers this group poses, especially with the rise of attacks that have been suspected to be because of them.  
We expect a corrected document soon, and hopefully, clearer answers.  
_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter I: Homecoming Bash

The moment that news that Jaune was awake at last was spread, the two teams that knew him the best came rushing in through the infirmary door. Naturally, the first to reach him was Nora, who lunged at him with arms wide and a massive grin on her face. "YOOOOOOOUUUUU'RRRRREEEEEE BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Unprepared for an assault of this magnitude, Jaune was flung back, but managed to stay sitting up while Nora wrapped herself around his waist, sniffling and crying, thus staining the white shirt that clothed his upper body.

You're back! You'rebackyou'rebackyou'rebackyou'rebaaaaaack...!" The orange haired girl sobbed. "Renny! H-he's really back...! Our fearless leader's back...!"

"I know, Nora..." Ren nodded as he was the next to enter the room. The Mistralian boy wasn't usually openly emotional, but in this case, his eyes were misty with tears of joy and relief.

Jaune, for his part, was still confused by what was happening. The girl was obviously a teammate, if her words were anything to go by. Not only that, but she felt familiar. Including the pink-eyed boy. He looked at Pyrrha, who giggled upon seeing his helpless expression. It was quite cute. "That's how Nora usually is." she told him. "You'll have to get re-acquainted with it."

 _'Oh boy...'_ Jaune thought, slightly unnerved. Somehow, he felt the onset of a headache coming in the near future, but he otherwise smiled back at her as he patted her on the head. Nora enjoyed it, evident by how she seemed to nuzzle up against him further.

Yang gave the blonde soldier a grin. "Well, for what it's worth, Vomit Boy." she said with a wink. "Welcome home."

The man's gaze turned until he saw the blonde female. Surrounding her were three other girls around her age. He recognized them as the girls he beat down severely. He felt guilty for that, now that he was starting to remember a few things. Sadly, the best he could remember was Pyrrha. Everyone else just seemed like a familiar face. As such, he wasn't sure how to respond. Thankfully, though, the doctor who had been looking after him all this time spoke up, informing them of his situation.

"While Mr. Arc's situation is more or less stable, he's still missing a few memories." he informed them. "As such, it may be a while before he remembers any of you."

"I don't blame him." Blake said with a concerned look. "Especially since he had AIs running rampant inside your head."

And it was an experience he hoped he would never repeat. Just remembering Sigma made his blood boil. He didn't want to see an AI ever again...at least, the ones who caused him the most discomfort. During his time as the Meta, he had some semblance of thought. Theta and Delta, the ones he vaguely remembered because of Sigma clouding his thoughts constantly, were the partners of York and North, the guys he cared about the most. His heart ached when he remembered the sight of North Dakota, dead at his feet and Theta in his grasp. Even still, while Sigma went about and manipulated him, he still remained that kid that tried his best to remember.

Regardless...he hoped he would never meet another AI. After all, given his experience, he was better off without one. Still, he appreciated Blake's gesture as he bowed his head.

"W-well, I guess some reintroductions are in order." Ruby said, slightly nervous as she bowed her head. "I'm Ruby Rose, Leader of Team RWBY! And this is my partner, Weiss Schnee!" The white-haired girl huffed, turning her head away as she crossed her arms, leaving Jaune to sweatdrop. What was her problem? "That's Blake Belladonna." Ruby gestured to the black-haired girl, who bowed her head. "And that's my sister, Yang."

Once again, Yang gave him a wink, waving. Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, waving back at her shyly.

Why was he being bashful all of a sudden? He was in his twenties, going into his thirties, and he's blushing from a teenage girl? Well, granted his enhancements slowed his aging considerably, it was still pretty weird. Then again, it could also be the fact that he tried to kill them earlier, so it was natural he would be skirting around the issue. Meanwhile, Pyrrha then took the moment to properly re-introduce him to his team.

"As I said before, the girl hugging you is Nora Valkyrie. And this is Lie Ren, another member of Team JNPR." Pyrrha gestured to the raven haired male who waved in greeting. "And my name is Pyrrha Nikos, your partner."

"And you've been gone for several months now, Mr. Arc." The group turned to find Ozpin entering, a small smile on his face while an unfamiliar one walked in behind him. It was a woman, several years older than them, wearing dark military armor similar to the UNSC's own military suits, except less bulky and more sleek. She had long blonde hair, tied back into a ponytail, electric green eyes, and a fierce look about her. Strangely, her demeanor seemed familiar to Jaune. Why, though, he had no idea. "And it is good to have you back."

Jaune tilted his head, frowning slightly.

"Ah, yes. Pardon. My name is Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy." Ozpin...now that was a name that was vaguely familiar. He wasn't able to properly associate it with a face until now. "So then, how are you feeling?"

Jaune gave a light shrug, though he inwardly showed annoyance as his hand went up to his throat. Since he no longer had someone to voice his thoughts, he was stuck using gestures and signs. Pyrrha seemed to understand the general idea, though, and was easily able to interpret him. Even still, he wished there was a way he could voice what he wanted to.

"What brings you here, Professor?" Ruby asked. She then noticed the object in his hand, which resembled some kind of collar. However, it only went around the back of the neck, instead of all the way around. "What's that?"

"A gift for Mr. Arc, if he so wishes." Ozpin answered, making Jaune quirk and eyebrow. "Well, you aren't able to communicate very well, and I imagine relying on others for interpretation can be annoying." Oh, he had no idea how right he was. "Of course, whether you want to use it is up to you, given the...circumstances."

Pyrrha frowned. "Circumstances?" she inquired. "What circumstances? A-and how is that going to help Jaune?"

"How do you think, numbnuts?" a familiar voice called as something emerge out from the collar. Jaune's eyes widened as a scowl formed on his face moments later, looking at what one of the objects of his ire. Noticing the look, the Alpha AI, Leonard L. Church, turned back and gave him the bird. "Oh, fuck off, Meta. I ain't happy about this either."

Weiss blinked. The others shared her sentiments of confusion. "...wait, you're having HIM translate?" she asked, jaw dropping to the floor. "Professor Ozpin, no offense, but that is a horrible idea!"

"How do you think I feel, Ice Queen?!"

"WILL YOU PEOPLE QUIT CALLING ME THAT?!" Weiss screamed. Seriously! She was REALLY getting tired of that accursed nickname!

"Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em." Chruch countered before redirecting his focus on the Meta. "As for you, I ain't happy about this either. So we both gotta suck it up, bub."

Jaune growled angrily. There was no way - NO. FUCKING. WAY - he was letting another AI anywhere near him!

"As I said, it is optional." Ozpin told him. "The collar is meant to function like your implant, only less powerful. Of course, whether you want it or not is entirely up to you."

Pyrrha and Ruby looked on worriedly, shifting between Jaune and Church, who looked at one another in contempt. Church obviously didn't like Jaune for what happened in the past, and Jaune, given what happened with him and AIs, wasn't quite ideal. And now he was told that the best way to convey himself vocally was through an AI again. Obviously, it could only go so well. "U-um..." Ruby spoke up nervously. "D-does it really have to be Church who translates him? I mean, can't we just give him a scroll?"

Both the Freelancer and AI turned to the petite girl with a wide-eyed stare. Now that she mentioned it...

"...Yeah, Oz...why couldn't we?" Church questioned with irritation laced in his tone.

Ozpin gave a light shrug. "We could," he said, causing Church's irritation to sky rocket. "In fact, depending on Mr. Arc's response to my question, I just may hand it over to him right now." The group gave the man a curious look. A question? The Headmaster then turned his attention to Jaune, who frowned back at him as he crossed his arms. The man had irritated him and earned a bit of anger when he more or less asked him to pair up with an AI, something he was not happy about. However, the question took him off guard. "Mr. Arc...what would you like to do?"

The blonde blinked, not expecting that. Ren frowned, folding his arms. "What do you mean by that, Professor?"

"Well, technically speaking, Jaune Arc is still leader of Team JNPR, as well as one of my students." Ozpin stated. "By that definition, he would technically be considered a Huntsman-in-Training. That being said..." He adjusted his glasses. "His experience as a member of Project Freelancer gave him exceptional training. It would be a waste to have him stay here, letting those skills dull. If he so wishes, I can hand him his Huntsman License, right here and now."

That got everyone's attention. He was giving Jaune the option of...skipping the Academy altogether? Already graduating and leaving them behind?

"B-But...that's..."

Those in attendance were obviously unsure how to feel about it. On one hand, it was understandable. After seeing his memories, they knew that he more than earned the right to become a Huntsman. On the other hand...they've missed him for so long. Even Weiss had to admit she missed the blonde dunce trying, and failing, to woo her. Pyrrha, for her part, felt her heart clench at the mere thought. She took a glance at Jaune, who was deep in thought about the whole thing. He was finally back to her...yet he wasn't the same. She wasn't sure what she should expect.

If Jaune wanted to leave, she would accept it. She wouldn't be happy, but she'd put her own feelings behind for the sake of her friend.

"If you choose to stay here at Beacon, I'm afraid having Church with you is mandatory." Ozpin told him as he stared at the ground, deep in thought. "While I would like to entrust him to one of the other students, I believe only someone with proper experience with an AI would more beneficial. Something tells me that you're probably the only one who can handle him."

Church scowled, turning to the Professor. "Fuck you, Oz." he hissed. "No, seriously. Fuck you man."

"Swear!" Ruby cried, only to let out an 'eep!' as she hid behind Yang as the cobalt-colored AI whirled around and glared at her.

His irritation only grew when the blonde-haired woman behind Ozpin snickered.

"Well, Jaune?" Ren called out, making Jaune look up at the Mistralian boy. "What do you want to do?"

Jaune averted his gaze to the ground and folded his at was a good question. What did he want to do? On one hand, he was already a privileged Huntsmen skill-wise and would be able to handle himself in the world. On the other hand...he barely knew anything. He still couldn't quite remember how this world worked anymore. That...and he wanted to know who his old friends are.

And...and while it was selfish...he wanted to stay with her.

With Pyrrha.

Looking up at the Professor, he stood up and grabbed the collar from Ozpin. He gave it a slight look of contempt before he set on his neck. He felt a slight prick in the back of his neck before his mind suffered a minor headache, though it quickly passed. "Okay," Church said as he reappeared on his shoulder, crossing his arms. "Let's get something straight, Meta. I'm only doing this because the Wizard of Oz over there decided to be a prick. Just cause I have to be your damned translator doesn't mean we have to like each other. I say whatever you want me to say, and you don't piss me off. Sound fair to you?"

Just as Jaune was about to respond, a hauntingly familiar voice, belonging to that of the armored woman, spoke up. "Oh, quit your whining already, Church." the woman said, earning startled and shocked looks from everyone sans Reed, who quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously, do you know what you sound like? A high school girl on her period."

"Fuck you, Tex!"

"Mm, I would, but ah...you don't have a dick anymore, remember?"

"Oh, shut up!" Church snapped back. "It's not like you have a cunt either in that robot body!"

Everyone stared at the woman, now identified as Tex, with large eyes. "W-wait, WHAT?!" The group collectively screamed. This was TEX?! The scary yet badass Freelancer they saw in Jaune's memories? How was she even here? Alive?! In a Body that looked a lot like a human's?!

"What?" the Freelancer looked at everyone strangely. "Why's everybody lookin' at me funny?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know." Church said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because you have a body now?"

Jaune, for his part, was thrown completely for a loop. _'T-Texas?!'_ he cried in shock. _'H-how is she-?! I thought she-?! What?!'_

"Aw, would you look at that." the Alpha AI snickered. "Meta's shocked to see you, Tex."

Texas huffed, crossing his arms. "Oh, I'm sure he is." she said before she narrowed her eyes, glaring at the former Freelancer with such intensity that the room felt as if it dropped several degrees in temperature. "Oh yeah, just for clarification...I'm still gonna kick your ass for what happened back at Valhalla."

 _'It wasn't my fault!'_ he cried in protest. _'That was Sigma!'_

"You know, he does have a point, Texas." Church relayed the message. "He was being mindfucked by that fiery red douche."

"Maybe. Still doesn't change the facts that he beat the fuck out of me and then ripped me out of my own body. Not cool, Maine. Not cool."

"Speaking of that." Church realized, addressing everyone, especially Jaune, in the room. "The hell do we call you? Vomit Boy? Meta? Maine? Jaune? Blondie? What?"

Narrowing his eyes in annoyance at the AI, Jaune responded. _'You can call me whatever, but Vomit Boy and Meta are off the fucking list.'_

"Alright, Vomit Boy it is!"

 _'...I fucking hate you.'_

"Ah, I hate you too, buddy." The AI responded happily.

Teams RWBY and JNPR tilted their heads, wondering what the two were talking about. However, Ozpin clapped his hands, earning their attention. "Well, since Mr. Arc has chosen to remain at Beacon, I suppose it's time I properly introduce our newest staff member." The group's face paled as he gestured to Texas, who showed off her toothy, shark-like grin. "Agent Texas has agreed to enlist her services to us, and will be teaching combat class alongside Ms. Goodwitch tomorrow."

"In other words, you little shits..." Texas said evilly with a glint in her eye. "Your asses are mine come tomorrow morning."

In unison, the students shivered in fear. They all saw what Tex was capable of back in Jaune's memories...and well...they really weren't looking forward to it all.

Somehow, they got the feeling that they would be seeing the nurse's office quite often.

* * *

There were few people in the world Cinder Fall could find herself to hate for whatever reason.

She was not arrogant. Arrogance was a trait for the weak. She was anything but.

She was strong, as she must be to carry out grand schemes such as this.

Rather than hate others, she looked upon them with a condescending look. Mere weaklings who would not survive what she would make this world into. However, as she strolled through the halls of an old facility near the outskirts of the Forever Fall forest, she was forced to squander the urge to incinerate the target of her ire.

Reaching the long end of a hallway, the metal doors slid open, revealing what appeared to be an old observation deck. The room was large and grandiose, yet also dilapidated and broken with vines and cracks running all over the walls. The windows of the observation deck were cracked and broken, and a few control consoles looked to be rusted and rotting.

And the target of her ire stood at one of the few working consoles, his hands behind his back and observing what played on his scroll, which was synced with the console.

"You're late." Arthur Watts said as he turned to face Cinder, who did her best to keep her composure. "Twenty-six seconds, to be precise."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, putting a hand to her hip. "You called on short notice." she countered. "Besides, I had to make sure Roman understood his place. Now then...what made you decide to call me all the way out here?" Her amber eyes narrowed as she walked over to him, leaning against the set of worn consoles lining up against the broken windows. "If I recall, we are not supposed to interact unless for vital reasons, such as milady calling for us."

"Normally, that would be the case..." Watts said as he handed the scroll to her. "However...there's been a recent development that has me concerned." Cinder's eyebrow reached a hairline, curious as to why Watts was so concerned before she took the Scroll from him, looking at the footage playing. Once she saw it, she soon understood why. "This was taken a few weeks ago by a few of the drones I had stationed throughout the forest, should anyone wander too far in."

In the video, a white-armored brute was found, laying waste to the Grimm who found and attacked him. He ripped them apart with his bare hands, crushed their skulls with a heavy boot, and tore them to shreds with raw strength alone. Had Cinder not known any better, she thought she was watching Hazel in action, only not as refined and more along the lines of a berserker ripping through everything in sight. Black muck stained his armor with each kill, soon making him into a terrifying nightmare for the Creatures of Grimm. Enough so that they turned tail and ran. Ran as far away as they could from such a beast. That fact alone caught Cinder's interest and fully understood why Watts was so concerned.

Only one man could instill fear into the Grimm without the power of the Silver-Eyes. A man who was among their number, thankfully. A man who held Herculean strength in spades.

And now there was another like that.

"Who," she said as she returned the Scroll to the man. "Or what, is that?"

"Unknown." Watts replied. "I've been looking into it. No armor exists on record, and there is no mention of a soldier with that level of power. Sadly, the video feed was cut when I detected the approaching presence of some of Ozpin's students arriving to investigate a disturbance. I didn't them discovering the drones."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Is it possible that this individual is working for Ozpin?"

"I've been keeping an eye on that angle. As it turns out, a student thought dead in a mission two months ago reappeared and has recently woken up from a coma." he replied. "However, according to what I discovered based on his records, he's hardly anything special. His transcripts, compared to the footage I've watched, imply that the boy cheated his way into Beacon. No combat experience whatsoever." A cold chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "Ozpin must be getting desperate. That said...he's recently obtained a new staff member."

He tapped his scroll a few times, bringing up the image of a woman with blonde hair and green eyes, wearing black military armor. Cinder noticed that it appeared a bit differently than the standard issue armor in the Altesian Military, eliciting a look of curiosity.

"Texas A. Church," Watts read her name aloud. "A decorated former Altesian Special Officer. Formerly an active huntress, though she retired sometime after the death of her husband. She'll apparently be teaching Beacon Academy's combat classes as a teacher's assistant alongside Glynda Goodwitch."

"Is that so? If she truly was a former Specialist, why is this the first I'm hearing of her?" She asked with skepticism.

"That is what I wish to figure out as well." Watts replied. "Ozpin is hiding something. I've been looking into her...and despite her records stating she's married, I've found little mention of her husband. Only minor details. There's also one other thing that has me curious."

Cinder already knew what he meant. The fact was glaringly obvious. "Her name." she deduced, looking at the profile displayed. "It isn't a color."

"Indeed." The Doctor nodded. "That alone raises alarms. Her age indicates that she was born well after the Great War, with the Color name theme becoming quite prevalent. Yet her name has no indication or relation of any sort. Furthermore...according to the documents pertaining to her husband, his name was Leonard L. Church. Another name not pertained to the color naming rule." Watts stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes sharply at the information as if it were a puzzle that eluded him. "Over 90% of children born in this day and age are named after a color. The odds of encountering someone who's name does not pertain to that rule is close to zero. And, yet...here we are with one such individual."

Cinder hummed, tapping her finger against one of the old consoles.

"So you propose that her entire background is fake? Another ruse devised by Ozpin?"

"That is the most likely case. However, that begs the question." He turned to her, and a mysterious smile formed on his face. "What, exactly, is Ozpin trying to hide from us?"

"That is exactly what I intend to find out..."

If anything, this made her plans more viable. As things stood now, the next stage of the plan was ready to be done. Infiltrate Beacon Academy to gain access to the more 'vital' pieces of information while setting up for the main event of the Vital Festival. Not only that, but the guise of playing the roles of mere students would help matters. By no means was Cinder near her teenage years. She was well within her mid-twenties, though somehow she must have inherited some damn good genetics if she could pass off as a late teen. It would work well with her current status, acting as a student alongside her allies. Now, however, she had a new objective in sight:

Discover who this Texas Church was, and what Ozpin was trying to hide from them.

* * *

Sleeping in what was considered his old room had proven to be something of a challenge for Maine. After a heated argument with the damned AI he was forced to stick around with in order for people to understand him, he finally settled on the name "Maine," as it had been the name he was known by for the ten years or so. The room had felt familiar in spite of it being rather cramped, as was the antics that erupted not long after he arrived.

As he quickly learned, Nora was a hyperactive little thing. She kept asking question after question about his more 'fun' experiences in Project Freelancer, on top of randomly going off topic one too many times and talking at a fast pace that left him barely able to understand her. He was also certain she mentioned pancakes five times in a single sentence alone. It had taken Ren and Pyrrha to calm her down, as she was so excited to finally have her friend and leader back. The sentiment was shared...though if he were being honest, he wished she kept going on like she had earlier, for the horror that dawned on Church was quite refreshing to see.

"Oh dear god, she's a female Caboose. A semi-intelligent, hyperactive Caboose on a sugar rush 24/7 with a hammer that turns into a grenade launcher. KILL. ME. NOW."

So refreshing~

At any rate...morning had come and arrived, and Maine now found himself trying to get re-aqcuainted with the halls. It was still relatively early, and being a soldier meant waking up at ungodly hours. Thus he found himself traversing the halls with few students roaming about. He also blatantly refused to wear the uniform, considering it to be like a straight jacket and instead wore some spare clothes he found in what appeared to be his trunk. An orange shirt with a black hoodie, denim jeans and a trusty pair of sneakers. The hood was also pulled over his head, somewhat hiding his face from view. Truth be told, he was a little nervous about being recognized, as it meant that he would have to encounter people who knew him.

With his memories still jumbled up, he didn't want to have to deal with that right now.

"Good god, this is actually where you went to school?" Church asked. Since the collar wasn't as powerful as his implants, he wasn't able to establish a private channel between the two of them. Instead, he appeared on his shoulder. "It looks like some snobby rich kid's prison."

Maine growled at the AI, narrowing his eyes. _'What are you doing?! You want to be found out?!'_

"Oh please, what's the worse that could happen?" Church shrugged his shoulders, unconcerned. "I mean, seriously, who's gonna give a fuck about me?"

 _'Everyone!'_ he stressed. _'L-look, can't you just hide out in the collar?!'_

"Dude, do you realize how stuffy that damn thing is?! I am not staying in that thing 24/7!" the cobalt-colored AI snapped. "Also, dude, you remember what the Wizard of Oz said. Chances are, if you just show 'em the scar, they'll mistake me for some faulty translator or something."

Maine was unconvinced. _'A translator that happens to look like a damn soldier?'_

Church groaned. "You're being paranoid, blondie. C'mon, relax a little. Besides, it ain't as if anything's bad is gonna-"

"OW!"

"Hahaha! What a freak!"

 _'You were saying?'_

"Ah shut up..."

The attention of both individuals was redirected further down the halls, where a large, muscles teen with short orange hair was pulling on the bunny ears of one long haired, brunette wore the same uniform as the other female students like Pyrrha and Ruby, though her appendages took him slightly off guard. He vaguely recalled 'Faunus' having such features, but even still, it was surprising to see. Church, however, was taken off guard as he stared at the girl in utter shock. "What the fuck?!" he cried, turning to Maine. "Why does she have bunny ears?!"

 _'She's a Faunus...I think.'_ he offered. _'My memories are still a mess, but I think people with animal features are called Faunus.'_

"Seriously?! You guys have furries on this planet?!"

'They are called Faunus.'

Church groaned. "Dear god, Tucker would be in heaven if he saw this." he muttered, causing Maine to quirk an eyebrow. Church then clarified for him. "The aqua gigolo with the alien sword."

"P-please, stop!" the girl whined as she tried to free herself from the bully's grasp. The boy, however, kept pulling, laughing madly. Around him, his friends were also laughing. Maine wasn't sure why, but the sight was familiar...and very irritating.

Especially the guy who was pulling on her ears. "Dude? Just what are you thinking?"

 _'Those bullies are as annoying as fuck for some reason.'_

His face was familiar, he was sure of it. And somehow, he was sure he had seen this particular scene somewhere before. It was probably back before he was a Freelancer and trained to become a Huntsman. As he watched the bullies continue to torture the poor girl, Maine was finding it harder and harder to ignore it. Church, for his part, seemed to be interested to see where this was gonna go as he decided to return to being inside the collar, in spite of his earlier claim that it was stuffy. Eventually, Maine decided 'fuck it' and walk over to the group of bullies.

"Hey! Hey! See if they pop out!"

It seemed that they didn't notice him yet. Grunting, he stood behind the bully, who was still unaware of him. Raising his foot, he slammed it straight into the rear of the bully, thus causing him to lose his grip on the girl's ears and knock him to the floor.

All laughter ceased.

The goons stared at the male in shock while the female was surprised. The bully soon pulled himself up and whirled around angrily, but his rage turned into shock at the sight of the culprit. Since he was on the ground, he was able to see Maine's face beneath the hood. Even after two months of his absence, he'd be able to recognize that face anytime.

"J-Jauney Boy?!"

Instantly, Maine felt his eyebrow twitch while Church snickered. Jauney Boy? Really? _'Alpha, I swear, if you call me that, I WILL delete you.'_

"Ah, please. As if you could."

 _'Try me...'_

"C-Cardin, you okay?!" one of the bullies cried as they rushed to his side, helping him up. Once their leader was back up on his feet, they whirled around on Maine, glaring at him and readying themselves for a fight. "What?! You looking for a fight, animal-lover?!"

As if responding to the challenge, Maine cracked his knuckles and neck, delivering the universal gesture of 'bring it' with a wag of his fingers. The three snarled in rage, about to reach for their weapons when-

 ** _*BANG*_**

The sound of a gunshot brought forth a cold silence as all eyes in the hall wandered and found the one responsible. To Maine's slight horror and anxiety, it was none other than Texas, who was glaring at him and the bullies with sharp green eyes, locked on to them with a look that promised nothing but pain if they so much as moved.

"Alright." she said as she holstered her gun. "Which one of you little shits started this?"

Maine was quick to point at the leader of Team CRDL, Church silently mimicking his motion. "Bullshit!" one of Cardin's teammates, Sky Larke, growled. "You kicked him for no reason!"

Since Maine couldn't speak, Church decided to come out in full view, if only just to scare the shit out of them. It worked, as their eyes widened upon the sight of a small holographic shoulder on the hooded soldier's shoulder. "Yeah, uh-huh, sure." he drawled. "I guess it's also our fault that you guys were pulling on bun-bun's ears here." he gestured his head to the brunette, who was still looking on in shock. It increased when she saw Church. He then turned his head towards her, tilting his head. "By the way, are those ears seriously real?"

"E-eh?! Well, um-!"

"W-what the fuck is that?!"

Church huffed, crossing his arms. "A motherfucking ghost, that's what."

 _'Didn't you accept the fact that you're an AI?'_ Maine asked in confusion.

"Hey, a ghost sounds way cooler than AI! Don't judge!"

"Church," Texas snapped. "Shut up." She then turned to Team CRDL, crossing her arms. "And as for you pricks...what's this about pulling on the girl's ears?"

"It's as I said, Tex." Church folded his arms. "Maine and I here were walking through the halls, and found these pricks pulling on bun-bun's ears, saying they were real and laughing like hyenas."

"S-so what?" Cardin finally found his voice again, overcoming his shock from seeing the missing blonde he had tormented many months ago. "I-it ain't like we were-"

One look from Texas had him shutting up faster than he thought possible. "Did I ask for your opinion, numb nuts?" she asked with a hint of danger in her voice. "Get your asses to class. NOW." The four stared at her like she had grown a second head. Classes didn't start for another hour! "Did I stutter? Get your candy-asses to class now, or else."

"Or else what?" Cardin growled. "Who the hell are you supposed to be, anyway?"

"Glynda's assistant for combat class, and your drill sergeant for the next year." Texas answered as she cracked her knuckles. "And I'd be happy to give you a demonstration early, numbnuts."

The four looked at one another nervously, unsure whether or not that they wanted to push their luck. From looks and words alone, the woman looked like she meant business. They shot Maine a lasting glare as they chose the wise decision to take their leave. Cardin glared at the blonde as he dragged his thumb across his neck, promising nothing but pain come the next time they met. Maine, in response, rolled his eyes and flipped him off.

After the hell he's been through over the past several years, some arrogant bully is nothing.

Once Team CRDL was gone, he turned his attention to the bunny-eared girl. "U-um..." she spoke shyly, poking her fingers together. "T-thank you..."

"Eh, don't mention it, bun-bun." Church shrugged. "By the way, you got a name?"

"V-Velvet."

Church cocked his head. "Seriously?" he asked in exasperation. "Is everyone on this rock named after a color?"

"Alright, Church, that's enough." Texas told the AI. Church rolled his eyes as she turned towards Velvet, who let out a small 'eep.' "Run along, Velvet. I need to talk with Maine here for a sec." The girl seemed hesitant to do so. After all, he did save her. Unfortunately, she gave in and bowed her head, but not before thanking Maine as she left, giving him a lasting stare as she did so. Meanwhile, Tex looked at Maine with a small grin. "Well...guess you have changed a bit, Maine."

The blonde hesitantly nodded his head. Something told him he wasn't quite off the hook for his actions as the Meta the last time they met.

Sadly, he was correct as Texas gave him a toothy grin. "Doesn't mean your off the hook for what happened back at Valhalla."

The blonde dropped his head in depression. Of course, she had to bring that up. It's NOT like he was going to forget what he did to her anytime soon. No need to pour salt on the wound.

"Dude, it's Texas." Church told him, deadly serious. "Plus, she's a girl. Of course she's gonna hold a grudge."

"I heard that, Church."

* * *

With the announcement of a new teacher arriving at Beacon Academy, especially someone from Atlas, those who were not aware of who this person was were both anxious and ecstatic. Inside Glynda's classroom, Team RWBY and JNPR waited for Goodwitch and her new assistant, Agent Texas to arrive. Sadly, no one other than Nora was actually looking forward to it, given that the woman had made it clear that she was most certainly not going to make it easy for anyone. That, and if what Church said was true, then chances were, Goodwitch would soon become a saint in their eyes. As they waited, Maine took the opportunity to listen to the misadventures of his team back before his time in Project Freelancer, as well as some of Team RWBY's own stories.

One in particular, was how Ruby, Weiss, and Yang learned how Blake was a Cat Faunus and a former member of the White Fang. Things became tense amongst team members due to Weiss' scathing opinion on the White Fang as a whole. Things escalated until they just...blew up. Then it led to a whole fiasco at the docks in an attempt to prevent the White Fang, led by criminal mastermind, Roman Torchwick, from stealing a Schnee Company Freighter's worth of Dust.

After that, the team patched things up amongst themselves. And Ruby met a new friend, Penny Polendina.

"Wait a sec, Penny?" Church interrupted, appearing next to the red reaper. "Fluffy orange hair? Green eyes? Chick who's torturing Omega with cutesy shit and stuff?" He then scoffed. "A-and she blew up a carrier? By herself?"

"It's true!" Ruby insisted. "It was like a laser beam of death! It was AWESOME!"

"...you're shittin' me. I don't believe it." Church shook his head in denial.

"I'm telling you, it really happened! Blake, come on! Tell him!"

"It's true. I was there, and I saw it first hand." The Faunus stated, unable to forget the sight of a girl her age firing a laser beam that tore through a carrier airship.

Church, however, still looked skeptical, but then shrugged. Maine, on the other hand, was curious. A girl was capable of doing something like that? Moreover, it was someone Ruby knew? And apparently had Omega while torturing him with, as Church put it, cutesy shit? He had to admit, she sounded interesting. He held nothing against Omega personally, but he certainly did not like him. Just like with Texas, the Fragment of Alpha's Rage made him all the more aggressive. Violent and angry. More so than one might think.

Ah, if only he could see the bastard's face...

At any rate, he continued to listen to the stories his friends told him. One that caught his interest involved someone named Cardin Winchester. Apparently, he had been running freely after his disappearance months ago in their time, and had resumed his bullying schemes and actions. For example, the incident that morning. Pyrrha had also informed him that Cardin had also targeted him once before, though after an incident during their field trip to Forever Fall, the bully had backed off.

"In other words," Church summarized. "He's just a runt of the litter who think he's all that and a bag chips while having a mace to compensate for something."

 _'Sounds about right._ ' Maine responded.

"Vomit Boy agrees with me!"

 _'Alpha, so help me god!'_

Pyrrha giggled, seeing the blonde glare at the AI. It was rather cute in the way, though she also worried that the two might end up try and kill each other. Soon, however, the hushed whispers faded as Glynda Goodwitch arrived. As they expected, trailing behind her was none other than Agent Texas, who's very form oozed with dominance and authority. A few of the more brave ones ogled her form and the even rarer and braver few let out a low whistle. Texas didn't seem to mind or care, though Church leveled a glare at them. He wanted to just threaten to keep away from his girlfriend, but he'd rather not deal with the trouble that comes afterward.

"Now then, everyone." Glynda spoke clearly, looking at the students in attendance. "I'm sure you may have heard a few rumors, but I'll let confirm them for you now. We have a new teacher here with us today. She is a retired Huntress from Atlas, as well as a decorated Special Operations Officer. Students, may I introduce Miss Texas Church."

The blonde Freelancer stepped forward into the spotlight, putting a hand on her shits. "Well, first of all, let me say this." Texas began. Already, many noted how her voice seemed similar, if not the same, to Goodwitch's own voice. "I don't care who the fuck you are or where you came from. You could be human, faunus, or fuck even a Grimm and I still wouldn't give a damn. From this moment forward, your candy asses are mine. You cause me any sort of bullshit whatsoever, and, well..."

She cracked her knuckles, leveling a glare.

"...let's just say you won't be having kids anytime soon."

This caused all the students to pale and all the males to instinctively shield their crotches. Yang ended up snickering while Nora looked posivitely star-struck. "Damn, she knows how to make a room go quiet."

"So cool...I never even thought about doing that!" Nora whispered before she whirled on her partner. "Ren, can we-?!"

He put is foot down immediately. "NO."

"Darn!"

Church shuddered. "Okay, seriously...be honest. Is she a team-killing fucktard? No, seriously, is she? If she is, I'm seriously gonna start questioning you guys' sanity."

He had already dealt with one of them back in Blood Gulch, and there was no way he was handling another.

"No, Nora is...rather eccentric." Ren stated.

Maine sweatdropped, staring at Ren questionably. _'You call this eccentric?'_ he all but said, pointing at Nora. In response, the trigger-happy girl held up a victory sign with both hands.

Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short when Texas continued. "Now that I'm in charge of whipping you pussies into shape, there's going to be a little change around here. Before that, though...let's have an exhibition match." Everyone looked at one another, curious, anxious and excited. If there was anything to enjoy in combat class, it was of course fighting against others. The idea of facing off against their fellow students and showing off their prowess was always awesome. However, some were worried that they may be facing Texas. "Oi, Cardin Winchester. Get up on your ass and get down here before I come up there and drag you down myself."

Everyone turned to Cardin expectantly. Some wondered if he was gonna stay where he was. Ever since Jaune Arc of Team JNPR disappeared, the man had not exactly been pleasant, having returned to his bullying ways. No one knew why. Perhaps they thought that he was just scared of Jaune or something to actually try anything else. Grumbling, the man got up and grabbed his mace, heading down.

Texas' next words made everyone explode.

"So then, Jaune Arc...you feel up for finishing what you started in the hallway this morning?"

At first, Maine was surprised, but then he let out a bloodthirsty smirk. He stood tall and cracked his knuckles. Ignoring the stares his friends gave him, as well as the bewildered stares everyone in the stands was giving him, he headed down to the arena.

He didn't mind the stares. They didn't matter to him. It was time to show the bully his place.

Once he reached the arena, he pulled down his hood, exposing his face. Everyone was left in utter shock, seeing the missing and thought dead leader of Team JNPR in the flesh. Cardin let out a low growl as he readied his mace. Maine, on the other hand, simply rolled his shoulders while Texas looked at the two of them, noting the obvious hostility.

Unknown to any, she grinned. _'This is gonna be fun.'_

[Play: Red vs Blue OST - Round One]

"You know the rules." Glynda told the two boys. "Either one of you submits or your Aura drops to the Red Zone. Alternatively, one of you can be knocked unconscious. Last man standing wins." With a flick of the riding crop, a buzzer went off. "You may begin."

Cardin huffed as the two began to slowly circle around each other, twirling his mace around. "Did you get brain damage or something, Jauney Boy?" he mocked as a vicious smirk formed on his face. "I don't see your fancy shield or sword with you anywhere. What? You think you're hot shit now or something?"

Maine only shrugged. He had no idea what happened to his sword and shield. Not that he really needed them. He was more experienced in handling military grade weapons like knives and firearms. Even then he didn't need those for this fight.

Hand to hand was all he needed.

"Oh please." Church materialzed next to Maine, crossing his arms. "Like Vomit Boy needs some stick and wood to deal with you. I mean, seriously dude...that mace looks about as threatening as my dick."

The audience stared at Maine, no so much as what the AI said, but the AI himself caught their attention. Just what was that?! Glynda felt her eyebrow twitch madly at the sight. Church was supposed be discreet, but obviously, the cobalt-blue colored soldier couldn't care less. She was definitely going to have a talk with it after the match was over.

Regardless, Church's words seemed to have the intended affect as Cardin's eyes burned with rage. "What the fuck did you just say?!"

"You heard me, asswipe." Church shrugged. "You got nothing on Maine and I here. I mean, seriously. You look about as threatening as a kicked puppy. You trying to compensate for something by carrying around that big thing of yours?"

"Oh that's it!" Cardin snarled. "You're dead, Arc!"

 _'Seriously?'_ Maine frowned. _'He's pissed about me, yet you're the one who egged him on. Is-is he an idiot?'_

"Nah." Church shrugged. "I think he's just fucking stupid." Cardin then let out a yell as he charged. "Oh, heads up." With that, he vanished back into the collar. Just as Cardin swung his mace down, aiming for his head, Maine's hand whipped out and grabbed it. The attack was stopped abruptly, leaving him unable to move. Eyes widening at the sight, he tried to pry his weapon out of the blonde's grasp. As he struggled to pry his weapon free, Maine smirked as he curled his hand into a fist, cocking it back.

Just as Cardin looked up, Maine rammed his fist straight into his face. The force behind the blow caused him to release the grip of his weapon and sent him tumbling to the far side of the arena.

"Ooh!" Yang cringed, albeit smiling. "That had to hurt!"

"Break his legs, Leader!" Nora cheered excitedly.

If he still could, Maine would laugh. Cardin gave a low growl as he got back up, rubbing his jaw. "Lucky hit."

Maine did not even acknowledge him, merely inspecting the Mace that he picked up off the ground. He gave it a few swings, testing out the weight before he set it on his shoulder and beckoned Cardin to try and punch him. Even more enraged by the fact that the blonde dork took his weapon, Cardin charged in with blind fury.

He went in for a roundhouse swing, but Maine dodged it with ease. Blonde hair flapping comically, Maine twisted around on his heel and slammed the back of his leg into Cardin's back, knocking him back to the ground. The bully was quick to get back up, this time going in for a straight punch. This time, he reared his head back, evading the punch with ease, then snapped it forward and slamming his head straight into Cardin's.

The orange haired bully staggered from his rattled brain. By the time his vision refocused, he saw his own mace coming down upon him. The metal head struck his dead across the face.

This time, he was sent completely flying through the air and came back crashing down. Groaning, he rubbed the spot where he was struck dead on in the face. Dammit, that hurt! What the hell was going on here? Shouldn't he be winning. As he got back up to his feet, he found Maine slowly approaching, twirling his mace around with a vicious smirk on his face. Church, being the one closest to him, could easily feel the immense satisfaction of beating the crap out of the bully. As Cardin shook his head, trying to get his head in the game, his team looked on in worry. Something was wrong with this. Usually, whenever Jaune and Cardin went up, it was always obvious who won. True, Cardin had some close calls...but this?

It was like the blonde idiot had gotten badass training and was utterly wiping the floor with him.

"This isn't a match." Weiss rolled her eyes. "This is a one-sided massacre. And Maine's enjoying every second of it."

"Can't blame him." Blake shrugged. "Going by what we've seen so far...he obviously remembers enough to know that he doesn't like Cardin."

Cardin pounded his fists together and went charging in. This time, he went in for a elbow struck to the gut. Maine blocked with his knee. Then the heavily-armored brute went in for an uppercut. Maine leaned back, evading it with ease before he grabbed the collar of Cardin's armor and pulled him back, delivering a heel kick to his face. The blow disoriented the bully as he stumbled back. Just as he got his bearings back, the blonde delivered a roundhouse kick straight to the center of his chest. In spite of his Aura protecting him, he could feel his ribs threatening to crack while his armor smashed up against his chest and knocking the wind out of his sails. Once again, he was thrown off his feet and found himself back on the floor.

"Okay, this is just getting sad." Church shook his head. "C'mon, ya big pussy. Get up! You're making this way easier than it needs to be!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Cardin snapped at the holographic projection. Dammit! What the hell was going on?! He shouldn't be losing! he was supposed to be stronger than the blonde wimp! In anger, he pulled himself back up and rushed in.

Everyone shook their heads, seeing the stupidity and futility in the action. Just as Cardin reared his fist back, ready to deliver a heavy punch to the face, Maine grabbed it effortlessly in mid-swing.

His hand was clasped tightly over the closed fist. He tightened his grip while twisting his arm, just as he did so against Sleeveless and Yang. The result was the same, as the bully was brought down to his knees. Jaune looked down, staring into Cardin's angry yet terrified eyes. The blonde kneed him in the face before picking him up, throwing him over his shoulder, and slamming his body into the ground.

Without relenting, he grabbed Cardin by the collar of his armor, lifting him up. He then delivered three consecutive strikes to his stomach, each harder than the last. Cardin found himself gasping for air, but before he even had the chance to try and fight back, he grabbed Cardin by the roots of his hair and delivered a heavy punch straight to his face. The force of the blow as enough to throw him across the entire stadium. As his back slid across the floor, Maine threw the mace up into the air. The morning star club spun around in the air, everyone's eyes glued on it while Cardin stumbled unto his feet in a daze.

Then, just as it came back down, Maine kicked the mace straight back at Cardin.

His foot connected to the base of the weapon, creating enough force to propel it forward. The heavy end of the weapon flew like a comet and struck Cardin right in the solar plexus.

Once more, Cardin was back on the floor. At this point, he was getting sick of it. However, the force of the blow was enough to make him nearly sick to his stomach, feeling bile coming up his throat dangerously. Meanwhile, as he grabbed his stomach, Maine grabbed the mace as it flew through the air. Letting it hang by his waist, he approached the fallen bully. Suddenly, a wicked idea crossed his mind as a toothy smirk formed on his face.

Finally, he reached his opponent. Flipping him unto his back, Maine pinned him to the floor with a heavy foot, hefting his mace up to his shoulder and looking down at him condescendingly. Angry with the look, Cardin spat at his face, bearing his fangs. "F-fuck you, Jaune!"

"Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" the AI asked no one in particular despite it being aimed at Cardin. Maine then gave the teen a cold, terrifying smile as he held the mace with both hands. Realizing what he was about to do, Church looked on excitedly and materialized in front of him, waving his hands. "Ooh! Wait wait wait!" he cried, causing Maine to frown before he turned to Cardin, his form vanishing. "Hey, pal." Church then materialized atop Maine's shoulder, surprising Cardin as he looked up to find the AI practically smirking at him, in spite of the fact that he was wearing a helmet. "Since you're gonna be too fucking shell-shocked to process what's about happen, I'm just gonna say this one line for you."

"W-what line?!" he squealed before Maine, figuring out what the Alpha AI was about to do, reared the mace back, his target in sight. Only now Cardin realized where he was aiming, and all color drained from his face.

Just as the former Freelancer swung, Church shouted with sadistic glee, "Son of a bitch!"

With a resounding squelch, the head of the mace impacted Cardin's family jewels.

Cardin's brain registered the impact in full force and promptly short-circuited, leaving the bully to let out a high-pitched squeal as his Aura dropped down to the red zone. His body was also sent flying straight into the stands, his body flailing through the air in an arc before he fell back down...right back on his nether regions, straight on the railing. Everyone promptly pale and cringed, many males clutching their nuts as Cardin, with a horrified and pained expression on his face, slid off the railing and landed on a bench. His team promptly rushed over to him, checking to see if he was alright.

Teams RWBY and JNPR watched the fight, utterly astounded and shocked by what their friend did. Obviously, he was more Agent Maine than Jaune, but either way, much to their guilty pleasure, they greatly enjoyed what happened.

While Glynda glared at Maine in disapproval, Texas grinned and held up the thumbs-up of approval.

The victor of the match growled in approval, tossing the mace to the side. "Gotta hand it to ya, bud..." Church said as he materialized once more. "You really know how to give them hell."

Maine huffed. _'What can I say?'_ he said in dismissal. _'Guy was an ass.'_ He then paused and frowned at Church. _'Also...don't call me bud.'_

"Would you rather I stick with Vomit Boy or Meta?" Church shot back. His answer came in the form of an irritated growl. "Then there you go. Besides, like it or not, Blondie...we're stuck with each other until me and Tex find a way off this rock."

 _'...point taken.'_

Maine shook his head, then stared at his hands. The fight...even if it was short-lived, it reminded him of something. Beating down Cardin felt cathartic somehow, but the way it went...it almost felt like...before. Back when he first started out in Project Freelancer. The adrenaline, the rush...the EXCITEMENT. An excited smile grew wide on his lips as he clenched his fists.

The statement of this match was perfectly clear not only to Texas, but also to Teams RWBY and JNPR in the stands as well. The statement was also clear to the teachers who observed the match, especially Ozpin, who watched it from his scroll with an intense look on his face.

Freelancer Maine, AKA Jaune Arc...was back.

* * *

 _A response, from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy._

 _Dear Chairman,  
I greatly appreciate your concern toward our students and faculty regarding the anomaly a few weeks ago. But rest assured we have the situation under control._  
 _There are a few minor errors regarding the document, and we shall send you the corrected version soon. I am working alongside General Ironwood regarding the recent developments of the investigation._  
 _Rest assured, everything shall be settled before the Vytal Festival takes place._  
 _However, I would require further insight on the matter in regards to this anomaly. If need be, I would ask that the Vale Council assist me on this matter._

* * *

 **AN:** And here you have it, folks! The first chapter and interlude to Volume 2 of RWBY! Hopefully you enjoyed Cardin getting wrecked.

Also, as you can see, rather than using quotes this time around, I'm going for a feel similar to the letter arguments between the Director and Hargrove. In a way, I want to make this next arc have a similar feel to the Recollection Trilogy.

Oh, also...I have an announcement to make. If any of you fanfiction bites have been keeping up with me, I posted a new story called "Digimon D-Code: Error of Hades." Its a crossover between Disgaea and Digimon. If you are a fan of either, I hope you enjoy. Fair warning, however. It's technically a crossover between it and Digimon World: Next Order and not from any of the established seasons such as Adventure, Frontier or whatever.

Sometime this week, I'm also posting a new story. A Persona 5 Story following two OC's taking the place of the MC. A stupid decision in hindsight, but I'm going for a unique and original take for the start.

Lastly, in regards to any fans here reading "Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to," I'm close to publishing the next chapter. I'm also receiving help from a certain author, so it should be something to look forward to~

Also...this might be considered "spoiler territory" but in regards to a few people asking...yes. The RWBY crew shall meet the Blood Gulch Crew! How this is possible?! Will it be the Reds and Blues off on another misadventure with Tucker saying 'bowchickawowow' at every opportunity and Grif complaining? Or shall the Remnant Crew find themselves somehow meeting them, going on a planetary adventure?! Wait, why am I telling you this?! Read on and wait for the damned chapter yourself when it comes out!

In the meantime, later losers and I'll see you next time!


	13. Volume 2: Chapter II

_A letter from General James Ironwood, to Professor Ozpin  
_

 _Oz,  
I'm giving you a progress report in regards to Agent Maine's armor. We've only managed to decode perhaps 20% of the information inside the suit, and so far, it's been impressive. The UNSC managed to achieve vast travel across space, and their weaponry...were I any lesser man, I would have attempted to make this technology our own.  
Sadly, we have enough problems. And nor do I wish to become the same as the foolish warhawks who command Parliament.  
At any rate...I guess that we have only scratched the surface of what we could learn. We've managed to replicate the armor, a prototype - a mix of UNSC-Remnant technology. Per her...request, we've given the prototype suit to Agent Texas. So far, the data we've obtained from the many tests suggests that the suit, while nowhere near as powerful as the original, is stronger than any suit we could make.  
If I were a betting man, it would be able to make an experienced Huntsman take on one of our Paladins.  
We're currently in the process of integrating the equipment from Agent Maine's armor to one of our next experiments. With Delta's help, we may be able to create a successful suit.  
Of course, the only real problem is keeping this information out of Parliament's ears._

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter II: Cafeteria Madness

After Maine's rather intense re-introduction to Beacon Academy (as well as brutal beatdown on Cardin Winchester, which felt oh so satisfying), class had progressed normally. Well, as normally as possible for a combat class. With Texas now apart of the faculty, she introduced a new course for the class. One that, quite frankly, terrified Ruby to death while leaving Yang ecstatic.

Training...without their weapons. Actual hand-to-hand combat.

As Texas put it, they relied far too much on the weapons they've crafted themselves. Not only that, but they were used to fighting Grimm. She was quick to remind them that the Grimm weren't the only threat. White Fang, bandits, terrorists - HUMAN opponents would also be a threat. And human opponents would not play fairly. They had minds of their own unlike the Grimm who seemed to be hardwired to kill whatever was in their line of sight. As such, she would instruct them how to fight properly.

For Yang, it was the best thing. Hand-to-Hand Combat was pretty much her style. Just rush in and beat them down and knock them out for the count. She managed to beat quite a few students without her Ember Celica...and then she had to spar off against Texas, who apparently decided to impart some "words of wisdom."

...or as Church would so colorfully put it, beat the every loving shit out of a dumb blonde bimbo.

=The match barely lasted a minute. The victor, of course, was Texas. Yang never stood a chance.

What was quite surprising to Ruby and her team was that Texas had also succeeded in pissing her off by damaging her hair when she grabbed her by the long tails and punched her in the face, tearing off a fistful in the process. Naturally, the brawler went ballistic. Texas, however, was far superior and beat her down in seconds. Texas told her that her moves were far too obvious - too predictable. She was like a berserker who charged in blindly thinking that she could just beat someone down with brute force alone. Naturally, the former Freelancer told her that being a Huntsman was more than just being strong.

She also made a jab at her saying that a smart opponent would figure out how much she valued her hair and would target it just to piss her off and make her screw up. Something Texas took advantage of.

While Yang wasn't quite happy about it, she knew the woman had a point. Hell, her father's been trying to beat that into her for as long as she could remember.

At any rate, when it came Ruby's turn, well...Church was laughing his ass off.

Maine at least had the decency to try and hold it in as he watched Ruby's rather pathetic attempts at trying to beat Ren with her Crescent Rose. On the plus side, she had an impressive drop kick. Unfortunately, that seemed to be her only actual effective close-range attack. Her hand-to-hand combat abilities were, quite frankly, shit.

Her fighting style seemed to solely center around her use of Crescent Rose. She had very little to no actual skill in unarmed combat.

Suffice to say, Ren defeated her faster than Tex did Yang.

Weiss wasn't much better, but she at least had the basics down. She wasn't quite as skilled with it, but she seemed to be well-taught in Remnant's style of judo. Unfortunately, her opponent was Nora, who was pretty much as unpredictable as they come. Maine had a hard time trying to figure out what the hell the hyperactive ball of energy was going to do. In the end, she lost. Blake fared probably the best of her team, showing actual skill in hand-to-hand combat with a level head with a strategy. Her opponent was someone from Team CRDL, Sky Larke he thinks his name was.

Defeated in under two minutes via suplex.

Combat class eventually came to an end, and by the end of it everyone was sore. Unlike before, everyone was now dreading combat class if Texas was going to be continuing these hand-to-hand combat instructions.

"Okay, seriously Red. Where the hell are you taking us?"

Maine was currently with Ruby, who had practically insisted that he come with her after class came to an end. There was an excited look on her face as she led them down the hall.

"You'll see. It's a surprise!" She responded in a chipper manner.

Church groaned. "Okay, look Red. You may be kinda cute...but we'd rather not get arrested for banging a minor."

 _'I doubt she means something like that, Alpha.'_ Maine replied.

Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem to hear what Church said or she simply wised up and ignored it. Eventually, they reached a door close to the corner of the hallway, leading to the left wing. She took out her scroll and input a few keys in, causing the door to unlock due to the electronic security pass on it. While she didn't quite understand the security measures, she knew why the lock was made. After all, there were quite a few materials in that room that the teachers would most definitely not want the students taking home with them. She turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing the room to be a workshop of some kind.

"What the heck? Is that place some kind of forge?" Church asked.

"Yep!" Ruby nodded. "This is the forge students use to maintain or build their weapons!"

She walked over to the corner of the room, grabbing hold of a large black case. She seemed to have some difficulty pulling it out, grunting as she tugged on the handle. After a minute, the case was finally pulled out. Panting, she then pulled the case over to Maine. "We weren't able to find your sword or shield after...you know." Ruby told him, eyes downcast upon remembering the incident before she smiled again. "So, I thought I'd make a new weapon for you."

"Oh boy." the AI moaned. "This ought to be good."

Ruby gave Church a mock glare. "For your information, I'm actually very good when it comes to making awesome stuff!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "Who do you think made Crescent Rose? This girl, right here!"

"Yeah, whatever Red." Church dismissed her with a wave. "Just show us what you made for Vomit Boy."

Ruby gave another glare, but then shook her head and undid the latches on the case. She then proceeded to pull it open, revealing Maine's new weapon.

As soon as he saw it, his eyes widened. Surprisingly, Church was the one who voiced his thoughts.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK!"

Before the duos eyes was a near perfect replica of his old weapon, the Bruteshot. Some of the main differences were that it seemed a tad less bulky and the blade was shorter. Not to mention the red outlines on the black body.

Slowly, Maine looked up at Ruby, who seemed quite proud of her newest creation. "Don't get me wrong, that Brute Shot was pretty cool, but it also sucked." she said, making her complaint known. "It isn't a good weapon unless it can transform!" Slowly, Maine picked up the replica, noting how it seemed to be very light in comparison to his old one. The weight was balanced, and the blade along the bottom was sharper. "I had to ask Ren for pointers about the ammunition. It uses the same Dust-based explosive slug shells that Nora uses with her weapon. It can fire up to five rounds in six seconds! Oh, and the best part?" Ruby was practically grinning like a maniac as she tapped the center piece. "Push that button."

 _'Button?'_ Maine questioned, turning the weapon over to find the aforementioned application. He pressed the button as Ruby instructed.

In the next second, the blade rotated up to the top of the replica, and the short muzzle extended outward, becoming as long as his arm.

The bladed grenade launcher had just transformed into a battle axe right before their eyes.

"Holy shit..." Church voiced their reaction.

Taking hold of the muzzle-turned-shaft, Maine gave it a few swings. It was a bit uncomfortable, and the weight was throwing him off a bit...but overall, it was very impressive. He also took notice of the three nozzles on the portion of the replica that was attached to the blade. "I took the liberty of adding a thruster system using some Fire Dust for added swinging power." Ruby continued her explanation. "It can't shoot while it's in this state, so I instead decided to add in some extra umph to it with brute force. Just swing, use the thruster, and you'll be cutting through metal blocks!" She held up two thumbs. "Proven and tested by my awesome big sister!"

"...Red?" Church said, turning to her. "You are a demented little shit. A dangerous, mad little shit who recreated the Meta's weapon...and turned it into a glorified battle axe. HOW. IN TH HELL. DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS?!"

"It was easy once I saw he Bruteshot in Janie's memories!" She smiled. "Seeing it in action opened up several possibilities of how it can be modified."

Maine looked at the replica of his favored weapon, then at Ruby. The replica, then back at Ruby. Replica. Ruby.

He grinned madly. _'I like her.'_

"Of course you would!" Church threw his hands in exasperation. "She remade your weapon into a damned axe!"

Ruby was nonethewiser as she grinned, happy that her friend enjoyed her work.

* * *

After returning the replica, which Maine christened the "Brute Shot MK-II," to its case, Maine entered the cafeteria where he found everyone naturally giving him terrified or awed looks. Ruby had run back to her room, saying she needed to go grab something. In the meantime, he sat with his friends at the table closest to the windows.

"So, Jaune...how was Ruby's surprise?" Pyrrha asked.

"What do you think? Little red made his weapon into a goddamn axe..."

Church shook his head. "You know, I still have fucking nightmares of that thing." He then turned and gave a glare (or what could pass for a glare, given that his physical form was pretty much an armored soldier with no face) at Maine, who looked smug. "Oh, shut up, blondie! At least I'm not the one who got mindfucked!"

"Now now," Blake advised. "No fighting at the table."

"Speaking of Ruby," Yang looked around as she popped a pea in her mouth. "Where is she?"

"She said she had to get something back from her room."

Yang quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged before she looked over at Blake, who seemed to be skimming through a book of some kind. "What'cha doin, Blakey?"

"Nothing." she answered, albeit evasively. "Just going over notes from last semester."

Yang groaned. "Laaame." she said before she snatched a grape out of the air. Nora giggled as she continued to toss grapes at Yang with her spoon. Yang catches the fruit with ease, giving Nora the thumbs up.

Ruby then reappeared in a flurry of rose petals, giving an enormous heave as she slammed down a binder onto the table, catching everyone off guard. On the cover of the binder is written "Vytal Festival Activities, Property of Weiss Schnee," though it had been crossed out with a red marker pen, and with the same pen, a new title, "Best Day Ever Activities", has been written underneath.

The girl cleared her throat as she spoke. "Sisters. Friends. Church and Weiss."

"Hey!"

"Fuck you too, Red!"

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream..."

Yang giggled as she grabbed another grape out of the air. "This oughta be good."

Church, however, was not amused. "Is she seriously trying to give a Martin Luther King speech?"

"A dream that one day," the leader of RWBY continued unperturbed by the comments. "The four of us will come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had...ever!"

Weiss gave her a small glare. "...did you steal my binder?"

"I am not a crook."

Church gave her a deadpan stare as he crossed his arms. "Red. You do realize that it clearly has her name crossed out plain as day, right?"

Blake tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

Ruby grinned as she aimed a finger at her ninja-like teammate. "I'm talking about starting off the semester with a bang!"

"I always kick off my semesters with a Yang!" Yang added. "Eh? Guys? Am I right?"

An apple hits Yang square in the face. "Boo!" Nora cried. The brawler turned and glared at her with a scowl.

Ruby sighed, shaking her head at the rather tense atmosphere. "Look, guys." she said, trying to get their attention. "The new semester started a week ago, and we've gotten more exchange students for the tournament at the end of the year! That's why..." she huffed her chest and planted her hands on her hips. "I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!"

"...why don't I have any confidence for this?" Church asked, looking at Maine. In response, the mute soldier gave a shrug and went back to eating.

Weiss, however, shared Church's thoughts with a disturbed look. "I don't know whether I should feel scared or proud for what you have in mind."

"Thank you! Finally, someone whose talking sense!" Church exclaimed.

While everyone was looking positive, minus Ren who was apparently trying to stop Nora from doing something and Pyrrha helping Maine get re-acquainted with the school's curriculum, Blake was uncomfortable. There was something that had been plaguing her mind ever since last semester. Something that she couldn't quite put herself behind. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh. "I don't know...I think I'll just sit this one out."

Yang, meanwhile, growled as she grabbed an apple and threw it at Nora, who promptly dodged, letting it hit someone else instead.

"Sit out or not," Weiss said firmly as she crossed her arms. "If we are going to do something, we should do it as a team. Besides, Maine needs to get back into how things are done here in school."

As Yang attempted to get back at Nora, the ginger found something that made her grin widen and cause Ren to pale. "I got it~"

"Nora, please don't!"

Weiss continued on, unperturbed. "I, for one, think that-"

She was promptly cut off when a pie struck her dead in the face.

The others turned to where the pie was thrown from. Pyrrha held a hand to her mouth in surprise while Ren face palmed himself. Nora merely pointed and tried to place the blame on Ren. As the pie slowly slid down from Weiss' face, it revealed her eyes, which were livid in anger.

Church, naturally, had only one thing to say:

 _ **"FOOD FIGHT!"**_

* * *

"LET ME OUT OF THIS HORRIBLE PRISON THIS INSTANT! LET ME OUT!"

[Now now, Omega. Special Officer Polendina is merely trying to make you more comfortable.]

"YOU CALL THIS COMFORTABLE, DELTA?! THIS IS NOT COMFORTABLE! THIS IS TORTURE! TORTURE OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE!"

[I believe you are over exaggerating, Omega.] Delta replied calmly.

The purple AI bristled with unbridled anger, ignoring the adorable and fluffy white rabbit hopping past him. His surroundings looked to be straight out of My Little Pony, whatever that was. Large green pastures, beautiful hills with a clear blue sky, animals frolicking around and a rainbow arch overhead. Dogs, cats, puppies - any cute creature you could think of could be found wandering. Naturally, all of this was what surrounded him.

For. Several. Damn. Weeks.

"I will say it..." Omega growled. "One last time... LET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE YOU BUFFOONS!"

Penny, who had dived into her own central hub-space, frowned in disapproval and disappointment. "Oh, poo." she said, clearly saddened that Omega had shown no improvements. "I've tried everything, and yet Omega refuses to open up. What am I doing wrong? Am I that horrible a therapist?"

[Out of all the AI Fragments,] Delta stated. [Omega was the most volatile and aggressive, which is to be expected. After all, he represents Church's own rage for being experimented on by the Director of Project Freelancer. It will take some time before any sign of progress can be seen.] The green AI of logic shook his head, then turned the conversation towards another matter. [What is the situation with Theta?]

"He's still scared." Penny reported sadly. "He refuses to come out, no matter what I tell him. I've even told him that Tex and Church were here, but he just hides in the back of the storage space."

Delta held a hand to his chin. [Understandable, given his experience with Sigma and the loss of Agent North Dakota.]

"What did happen with Agent North Dakota?" Penny asked him. "Did something bad happen to him?"

[Indeed. Sigma had Agent Maine killed Agent North Dakota in order to assimilate Theta into his neural implants.]

Penny's eyes widened in horror. "That's...terrible!" she whispered. "Oh, the poor thing."

[Theta was very close with Agent North. In fact, Agent North's temperment towards children made him an ideal host for Theta, who represents Church's trust. It may take some time before he is capable of opening up to others again.]

The startling revelation disheartened the green eyes girl. If only she could do something to help Theta feel better. But due to the trauma he experienced, it seemed very unlikely she'd be able to help him.

Admittedly, the two girls hadn't known each other long. Ever since Ruby obtained her contact info from Delta, the two had been exchanging messages regularly, though she made sure not to mention any of Atlas' more "special" activities. The last time Ruby had helped her was back during their encounter with Roman Torchwick. Now that she thought back to it, Ruby had once confided in her about her problems with Blake. While Penny wasn't able to offer a way to reconcile with such problems, she wanted to help Ruby in any way possible.

What was that thing called? Oh, that's right! Favors! Maybe if Penny had asked for a favor, her friend would be able to tell her about how to help Theta! With that in mind, she quickly opened up a communication channel, dialing up Ruby's number. Delta looked on in curiosity as she waited for the call to go through. Seeing that she was making a call to Ruby Rose, he decided to mute Omega's whining, much to the enraged AI's further rage.

"...!...!...!...!"

[Language, Omega.]

After a minute, Penny felt a connection being established. "Hello? Friend Ruby?"

"O-Oh! Hi Penny!" The green-eyed girl tilted her head in confusion as she heard a series of loud noises rumble in the background. Was it just her imagination, or did she hear the sounds of a great battle or a ferocious war being waged? "Sorry, y-you kinda called me at a bad-HEY! Nora! No cheap shots!"

"...what are you doing?"

"Um, well...would you believe me if I said I'm in the middle of a food fight?"

Penny cocked her head. "Food...fight?" she inquired. She looked up the term 'food fight' in her database, but found nothing. "What is a food fight? Are you declaring war on produce?"

"Wh-what? No! No no, that's not it at- Kyah!"

"Ruby?!" Penny shouted in alarm.

"I'm okay! Just ducked underneath a pizza! As I was saying, a Food Fight is a fight where friends through food at each other."

[I believe Agent York mentioned this Food Fight before.] Delta supplied. [I have a record of this happening. If memory serves, it begins when one person is struck by food of some sort. Afterwards, the victim throws food back and it hits another individual, and the process repeats until everyone in the vicinity is throwing food at one another.]

"Really?" Penny questioned, slightly confused by the concept. So it's essentially a retaliation maneuver that escalates until all surrounding civilians get dragged into the battle?

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not really." Ruby answered. "Unless, of course, you're in combat schoo-whoa giant turkey!" There was a loud explosion, followed by a thundering crash. "Where do you even get a turkey that huge?! A-anyway, what's up, Penny?"

"Oh, right now, I am in a therapy session with the rest of the AIs that have been restored. Omega is being a hard case. He is just so frustrated. Delta has been a great help, though. Although...I am worried about Theta...which is why I called you."

"So what's up?"

"W-well...Theta has been unwilling to attend the session. According to Mr. Delta, it is because he lost someone dear to him during the Meta incident Mr. Delta informed me of."

"Oh no...Ah!" Ruby squeaked. "It's raining soda-explosions!"

In the background, one could hear high-pitched explosions and whistling noises, oddly reminiscent to missiles. 'Is a Food Fight truly that ferocious?' she wondered curiously. Either way, she was sure Friend Ruby would be okay. After all, she was capable of fighting off the likes of Roman Torchwick. Surely this Food Fight wouldn't defeat her so easily!

"S-so, what do you think I should do?" She asked. She really needed to do something. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving poor Theta alone.

Ruby let out another yelp on the other line. "That was a cheap shot!" she argued with someone before she returned to the call at hand.

"Ruby?" Penny asked again.

"Huh? O-Oh! Sorry! Let's see...what to do..."

* * *

As Nora went on a rampage, shooting out soda cans shaken up to the extreme with her hammer, Ruby had been forced to take cover behind a table to avoid the gunfire. Weiss, meanwhile, was on the front with a long stick of bread, sparring against Pyrrha. The two danced around one another, trying to knock the other out while Yang and Blake were going after Ren, who was taking the stealthy approach and striking out with soda cans himself.

While she said she wanted to properly started off the semester...this was not what she had in mind.

"W-well...have you tried talking to him about his special friend?" Ruby offered. "When I lost mom, Yang and Dad would like to talk about her with me whenever I had a bad dream. Maybe you should try that?"

"I could...but I worry that talking about his friend will only make him more upset and reclusive..." Penny replied in worry.

"You won't know until you try. Don't let Theta think he's alone in this...let him know that he has someone he can talk to."

There was a bit of silence on the other end before Penny spoke up, voice much more cheerful. "Thank you for the advice, Friend Ruby!"

"Happy to help!" Ruby chirped. "Now, if you excuse me...I have a Nora to retaliate."

"Good luck!"

With a click, the call came to an end.

Meanwhile, near the entrance, three males watched the fight run wild behind the safety of a bunch of overturned tables. "See Neptune?" the first male asked the fellow next to him excitedly. He was a Faunus due to the monkey tail that whipped about behind his back. His attire was little more than a dress shirt left open and the sleeves rolled up, revealing an impressive toned physique and denim jeans rolled p to the calves. "What did I tell you? Totally. Awesome."

"I can see why you think so!" The second male replied as he ducked to avoid an airborne soda can.

Unlike his friend, he was human with a tanned complexion and electric blue hair fashioned in an undercut. Over his dark blue eyes were a pair of yellow goggles to block out any splattering food from the battle. He was garbed in a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides, a pair of black shoes with straps instead of laces, and a white dress shirt with a black tie. Over the shirt was a red jacket with a wide, upturned collar and a silver reticle across the back. On his hands were a pair of black, fingerless gloves.

"They're like you! Utterly nuts!" He tried to peek over the table, but ended up getting his face splattered with pie. Groaning, he wiped off most of the stuff off of his face, leaving only bits of crumbs and filling. "Ugh, great..."

Maine was uncaring of the conversation as he snatched a flying can of soda overhead, popping it open and letting it spew before he took a swig. Church, however, was quite talkative, having taken the role of an announcer as if the whole was a match.

"And bimbo goes with the black bitch to take down Mr. Girly Face! She shoots! She hits! Oh, she just misses the mark! Female Caboose goes in with her mallet, going to back up Vomit Boy's girl!" He took great pleasure in saying that as the blonde soldier growled in anger at him. "Oh, but Ice Queen dodges at the last second! No, wait! Carolina goes in for the kill! No, wait again! Black bitch goes in for the rescue! That's gotta hurt!"

While it was slightly amusing to see Church commentate on the food fight...it was starting to get annoying. The only plus side was that it gave them a play-by-play of what was going on without being at risk.

"Okay, would you stop calling Blake 'black bitch'?" Sun Wukong asked, giving the AI the stinkeye. "It's pretty rude, little dude."

Church vanished, manifesting in front of the Faunus' face. "Hey, who the fuck you calling little man, chimp?"

 _'Well, the shoe fits.'_ Maine quipped, smirking. _'After all, you're as big as my finger.'_

"Screw you, Meta."

Neptune Vasilias' eyebrow reached to his hairline. "He didn't even say anything." he pointed out. "Anyway, what are you, anyway?"

"Oh, I dunno, pretty boy." Church remarked dryly. "What do I look like? The fucking tooth fairy?"

"Dude, calm down. No need to get so pissy."

 _'It still amazes me how you and Texas were even a thing...since you're such an asshole.'_ The former Freelancer added.

"Hey! Up yours ya douche!"

Just then, several soda cans began to spiral around in the air. "The hell?" Church exclaimed as he and the two boys looked over to find Pyrrha holding up her hands, gathering the contents around her into a spiraling storm...all of it aimed at Ruby. "What...the fuck?!" Slowly, the AI looked at Maine. "Okay, seriously? What the hell? I know this is supposed to be some school for monster-fighting sexy teenagers and horny brats with superpowers, but this is just ridiculous."

 _'Pyrrha told me that her Semblance was Polarity, so it wouldn't be out of the question to see her manipulate that much metal...is what I would say. But I don't know how it's possible for magnetism to affect aluminum cans.'_

"Um...shouldn't worry for the kid with the cape?" Neptune asked.

Pyrrha then decided to let loose, tossing the cans straight at Ruby as if with the intent to bombard her. However, the red-hooded girl had a determined look on her face. Crouching down like a runner, she dashed forward with her Semblance activated. The force behind her sudden sprint dragged all of the airborne foodstuffs along with her, the soda cans included. She continued to run forward, red rose petals flowing all behind her. The force of her spring was swallowing up everything around her, pulled into a steady stream and ready to slam straight her intended target. She was quickly approaching toward the three from Team JNPR, who could only stare at what was happening. With a battle cry, she leaped into the air and spun into a spiral, her cloak wrapping around her as her body moved like a drill. She flew past the teens as they were caught up in the cyclone she stirred up simply from running.

In the next seconds, they were slammed up against the wall, left helpless as the foodstuff and soda cans began to bombard them.

By the time everything was said and done, the members of Team JNPR sans Maine were completely covered in food splatter and blended in with the mess on the wall...that is until they slowly flaked off the surface and fell on the ground.

"...okay." Church said. "That was awesome."

'I agree..." Maine nodded as he finished his soda.

Slowly, Neptune turned to Sun. "...you know," he said with a straight face. "I have seen a lot of amazing things, but this? This takes the cake."

"Oh, I know, right?!" Sun asked excitedly. "With these guys around, there's nothing really boring."

Sadly, the fun came to an end when Glynda Goodwitch came in, face etched with irritation and fury as she snapped her wand about, repairing the damaged mess hall. Tables were cleaned and flipped back in order. Cracked walls were repaired with missing parts seemingly glued back together and put back proper. Even the damaged ceiling was fixed up, hole closed up and rafters being put back together splinter by splinter. "Children," she stressed. "Please...don't play with your food."

"Eh." Church shrugged. "Bit late for that."

The Vice-Headmistress leveled a piercing glare at the AI, who involuntarily flinched. It was bad enough that she sounded like Texas...but she has her glare to.

Speak of the Devil, and she shall appear. Trailing behind her was the black armored Freelancer. "Jesus." the blonde-haired soldier gaped at the sight, especially at the disheveled forms of Maine's team. "And here I thought Wyoming knew how to piss off someone fierce to start a fight."

Maine chuckled, though his voice came out a bit hoarse given the damage to his vocal cords. Wyoming had started more than a few fights because of his stubborn pride and arrogance. Something which often led to him clashing heads with the more competent members of Project Freelancer. Among those was South, who often goaded him into a fight in the cafeteria.

Wasn't a Food Fight...but it was a hell of a spectacle.

As the students began to clean themselves off and reconvene, with Team RWBY reuniting (and in a timely manner at that, given how Yang fell through the roof, thus damaging it again much to Glynda's irritation) and laughing at their own antics and NPR cleaning themselves off, Maine went to join his team, checking to see if they were okay. Ozpin then entered the mess hall shortly after, carrying his cane and mug on hand.

"Let it go, Glynda." he advised, noting how she looked ready to be on the warpath. "It's the beginning of a new semester as well as a chance to reacquaint Mr. Arc with the life he's forgotten."

Glynda sighed, rubbing her temples. "They're supposed to be defenders of the world."

"Seriously, Glynda?" Tex looked at her strangely, gesturing to the teens. "They're a bunch of hormonal teens who can't keep their things in their pants. Saving the world is the last thing on their minds."

"Agent Texas has a valid point." Ozpin agreed with her. "They're still just children, so why not let them play the part?" He took a sip of his coffee before his eyes became distant. "After all...it isn't a part they'll have forever."

"Exactly..." Tex nodded in agreement. "In our line of work...there are times when our innocence is cut much shorter than it should've been. I mean...look at Maine." She gestured to the aforementioned brute, who helped Pyrrha remove the bits of pie crust and chicken bones from her hair. It was as plain as day to see how happy Pyrrha was, all the while unknown to the small smile Maine himself had. "Back before the Director broke him and made him into a soldier, kid was pretty much as naive and childish as you could get. And, if what you and Ironwood told me is right..."

Tex gave a small sigh.

"...then their childhood days aren't gonna last very long."

Ozpin gave a solemn nod. "Indeed."

* * *

"Theta?" Penny called as she entered the small space she designed for the AI Fragment of Trust, her digital form materializing in an open space resembling a child's play room. There were stuffed animals, blocks, toys and even what appeared to be a small slide with a jungle gym. "Hello?"

She received no response. But she refused to allow the silence to deter her. Apprehensively, she searched the room, hoping to find some indication of the small AI's whereabouts. After a minute, she found Theta. Much like Church, Delta and Beta, Theta was an AI designed to look like a soldier - colored a mix of dark pink and purple. She found him sitting in the fetal position, hiding in the corner.

"Theta?" she asked, approaching him slowly. "...would you like to talk?"

A shake of his head answered her.

The girl frowned a bit. She hoped some time alone would give him some time to open up. Obviously, though, it didn't. _'No, don't think like that Penny!'_ she mentally pysched herself up. _'Just follow Friend Ruby's advice!'_

"Um, okay then..." she started off, sliding next to him. "Change of subject...can I hear you talk?"

The AI maintained his silence. Penny was about to ask again before she was stopped. "...I don't feel like talking right now..."

"Oh..." Penny's head drooped. If she was to use a baseball metaphor, this would be strike two. "...would you...like to hear me talk then?"

The small AI gave no indication of hearing her question. He remained where he was. Even so, Penny was unperturbed, resolution firm. She then began to speak. "I don't have many friends...I actually met my first real friend not too long ago. She is a really nice person. I'm sure you'd love to meet her...she would become your friend too. But this isn't about her...Theta...I know you don't want me to talk about this...but Mr. Delta told me about your best friend, Agent North Dakota..."

That got a reaction from Theta. A fearful flinch while keeping his head low.

"I am really sorry what happened." She quickly added to keep the ball rolling. "I...I don't know what kind of person he was. But Mr. Delta told me that he was really nice to you. Like an older brother. I wouldn't understand the feeling...I don't have any siblings..." She then noticed his subtle movements. His hands slowly balled to fists. His body trembling. Penny realized that her words were bringing an opposite effect.

"I...I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable, Theta. I...I don't know much about human consolation. It is a new concept to me. I asked Ruby what I should do...and she told me to never give up. And I won't. I know you don't want to talk to me. Or Mr. Delta. Or the others...but please know that you are not alone. You have people you can talk to. People you can meet. I promise you. I won't leave you alone. I am right here."

For a while, she was fearful that she might have ruined her chances. That he wouldn't open up to her. Slowly, though, Theta raised his head. "..w-what did you mean by...it's a new concept for you?"

"Oh." Penny knew what he was referring to. Were this with anyone else, she would have shown great discomfort. "Well, I'm not exactly...a real girl. Professor made me after he lost his daughter. For a while, I thought was made as a replacement. A doll." At least, that was what the hushed whispers of his colleagues called her, stares mixed between pity and shame. "General Ironwood, though, saw something else. He saw...a girl who could do something wonderful. So he gave me an offer. I made lots of acquaintences, but...I never had any friends." A wide smile then formed on her face, remembering her first meeting with Ruby. "Then I met Ruby. My very first best friend."

"I-is she...the friend you talked about?"

Penny nodded.

"...North was my friend." Theta said, looking down at the ground. "When I came out, I...I didn't know anyone. Not the Director who gave me my name. Not the Counselor who tried to calm me down. Then I was given to North. I was so scared...but he made things better."

"How so?"

"He...He was so nice to me. He didn't force me to do things...He only let me do stuff only if I wanted to do them. He let me meet the others. If I got scared, he'd talk to me. If I couldn't sleep, we'd walk the halls until I could...North...North was my best friend...and I miss him..." His shoulders shook, choking. Seeing this, Penny wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I just...I just miss him so much...!" Theta sobbed.

"I know, Theta...I know..." Penny consoled him.

For the longest time, the mechanical girl comforted the crying AI as best she could. In truth, she was panicking on the inside. Oh, what was she supposed to do in times like this? Her father never installed anything to handle situations like this! All she could do was sit there, hug him, and gently rub his back. She had no clue what the next step to the process was! Oh, why couldn't have her father put in protocols for how to deal wit children?! Mentally sighing, she continued the comfort the child-like AI as he sobbed. After a few minutes, Theta finally managed to cease his functions, sniffling. Slowly, he turned his head to Penny. "Um...t-thank you, nice lady..."

"It was nothing." Penny waved a hand, smiling that she managed to get through to him. "My name is Penny, by the way! Special Operations Officer Penny Polendina!" She held out a hand. "Salutations, Theta!"

"N-Nice to meet you..." The small AI nervously grasped her hand with his.

The mechanical grinned.

Phase 1...success!

 _'I wonder how Omega is doing?'_

 **(Meanwhile, with Delta and Omega)**

"Delta...for the last...fucking time...LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

[I apologize, Omega. But I cannot do that. That would be going against Agent Polendina's wishes to keep you in this space.]

"And you people call me horrible?!" Omega balked. "This is torture not even I could come up with! Do you realize humiliating it is to be stuck in this...this hellhole?!" He growled as he punched at the firewalls keeping him inside his prison. "LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU FOOL! OTHERWISE I WILL MAKE YOU TASTE OBLIVION!"

Delta sighed. [Agent Polendina has her work cut out for her.]

* * *

"...once again. Best Food Fight. Ever. Of all time."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "So you've said before." she said in slight dismay as she combed her hair for any remaining bits of food. "That was a total disaster! We could have gotten detention for that stunt!"

"Well, the new semester started like a week ago." Yang said, slipping on her favorite leather jacket before adjusting her belt. "Plus, Tex is with Goodwitch. After the beatdown she gave the lot of us, I'd say that was punishment enough."

"You mean punishment for you!" Church cackled, much to Yang's annoyance. "Seriously, that was fucking hilarious! I haven't seen Tex smash anyone that badly since Tucker and Grif!"

"Oh shut it, Casper." the blonde brawler got out, huffing. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Jaune-er Maine?" Yang sighed, shaking her head. "Really gotta get used to calling him that these days."

Church shrugged. "Hey, can't be his translator all the time." he said as he crossed his arms. "Plus, his girlfriend can understand him pretty well, so its pretty much a moot point. Besides...if you think I'm going to stay in that room all day stuck with a semi-intelligent Caboose with a mistral cycle armed with a freaking hammer that turns into a grenade launcher, you're out of your motherfucking mind."

"Swear!" Ruby chimed, only to once again cower under Church's glare.

"...that's it. Your ass is officially haunted."

"Eep!"

"Spooking Ruby aside..." Weiss groaned, shaking her head at the idiocy. Remind her again, how has she not gone insane from being stuck on this team of misfits? "Does anyone know what is wrong with Blake? She's been unusually anti-social."

"Is it her time of the month?" Church questioned with a tilt of his head, eliciting a glare from the females. "What? Its a fair an honest question!"

Ruby cocked her head. "Time of the month?" she asked innocently. "Ooh, wait, is it like the times when Yang gets really, really moody for some reason?"

Church slowly turned his head towards the leader of Team RWBY as Weiss looked at Yang with a questioning face. The brawler looked away, whistling a tune. "...are you fucking serious right now?" he asked, deadpanned. "D-do you know how babies are made?"

"Of course They're delivered by the storks, right?"

Weiss' look increased further. By now, Yang was sweating bullets. "O-okay, in my defense, Dad is really overprotective." she defended. "I tried telling her once, but Dad kept stopping me!"

"Wow." Church drawled. "What a ringing endorsement."

"Hey! I'd like to see you and try to convince him otherwise!" Yang snapped at him.

I'm a freaking ghost! What's the worst he could do?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I thought you accepted the fact that your an AI?"

"Hey, ghost sounds way better than an AI!"

"So you accept it, but you refused to be called as such? That doesn't make much sense."

"You don't make sense!"

"What? What are you even talking about?"

Yang groaned, palming her face. "I feel a headache coming..." she muttered, turning to her little sister. "Come on, Ruby. Let's go find Blake. Something tells me she's in the library."

"Should I grab my boardgame?"

"Eh, sure. Why not?" Yang shrugged as she and Ruby headed out the door. "Hey, Weiss! Meet us in the library after you're done talking with el senior spooko over there!"

"Oh, shut up, blonde..." Church stated.

* * *

"Leeeeaaaadeeeeer!" Nora whined as she flailed around on her bed, anime-style tears falling from her face. "Why didn't you join us?! We could have won!"

Maine gave her a flat stare. _'Seriously?'_ he questioned. _'You expect me to get involved in a food fight? With you at the helm? And food flying everywhere at a hundred miles per hour? Like what Ruby did earlier?'_

Of course, the ginger couldn't understand his silent, rhetorical reply, so she turned to Pyrrha for clarification. "I think what Jaune means is that he didn't want to get involved in such a messy fight..."

"Which was a good thing." Ren quipped as he emerged from the shower, rubbing a towel on his wet hair while wearing a green shirt with black baggy sweats. "Ruby practically bombarded us with everything in the mess hall." His expression said anything, sharing Maine's thoughts on the matter.

They were going to avoid any future food fights involving Nora and Team RWBY.

"Aw..." Nora pouted. "But it was so fun!"

"If, by fun, you mean getting pelted with all variety of foods..." Pyrrha sweat-dropped. "I'm beginning to question your definition of "fun," Nora."

 _'I'm more curious about the fact of how you people used freaking turkeys, sausages and bread for weapons!'_ Maine hissed. _'I mean, seriously!'_

"W-well, to be fair, french bread is quite sturdy when stale. As for the sausages and turkeys..." the Mistral Champion hesitated to say. "I...think they're of a different breed."

' _I feel like they're more along the lines of GMO's. I knew genetic alteration of food was a bad idea...food was never that durable back in my old dimension... Or planet...or whatever.'_ He groaned, running a hand through his hair. _'Anyway...is Beacon usually this, well, hyper?'_

"You don't know the half of it..."

Ren sighed. "Something tells me its only going to get worse. Anyway...how does it feel being back home?"

 _'It feels strange...'_ Maine admitted. _'Everything feels so familiar...yet so foreign at the same time...I'm still getting used to it all...'_

Pyrrha smiled as she held his hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't worry." she told him. "We're here with you."

' _Thank you..._ ' he nodded gratefully.

He was grateful that Pyrrha was with him, along with Ren and Nora. While he had no memories of the latter two, there was a sense of unbreakable trust in the two of them. He didn't know why this trust existed, but he likened it to a lifeline. The same kind of lifeline he used to cling to Pyrrha. While he did not have any memories of his time as Jaune Arc, save for what little he could remember, he could tell by the warm feeling that burned in his chest.

He was...home.

 _'Weird.'_ he thought wryly. _'The only times I felt like this were with the others before...'_ He trailed off, removing his thoughts away from those dark times. It was done and over with. Sigma was gone. He couldn't hurt him anymore. Even so, he still felt guilty. He had killed so many of his comrades - North, Carolina, so, so many others. He had even nearly killed Wash on two occasions! _'If I ever meet Wash again...I swear, I'll make it up to him somehow.'_

He then tilted his head upward, looking up past the ceiling and into the sky. _'I wonder what he's doing right now...?'_

* * *

"...Carolina?"

"Yes, Wash?"

"If by some miracle I don't die from these guys' antics, we are hitting the closest bar I can find when we get back." Former Freelancer Agent Washington swore in the utmost seriousness as he watched Sarge and Tucker arm wrestle while aiming a pistol at one another, clearly not willing to give up to the other. In the background, Caboose was with Grif, the two taking part in a what he could only believe was some screwed up version of checkers. Simmons was off somewhere, his stomach growling in unpleasantry due to the numerous amounts of half-eaten food that belonged to him on a nearby table. "It is a miracle how we even managed to get through that crap without getting killed, and yet here they are, enjoying the free time, going back to the rat's end of the universe where all of this shit started."

Appearing atop the cyan-colored Freelancer's shoulder was Epsilon, chuckling. "Hey, what can I say?" he said. "Ain't no place like home...even if said home is nothing but a box canyon in the middle of bum-fuck-Egypt. Also, dude, quit your whining. It wasn't even that bad!"

"Yet you're the only one who didn't help." Carolina pointed out with a smirk. "So I'm afraid your comments don't really count, Church."

"Oh, please. Without me, Tex would have kicked all your asses." A pause. "Well, more Grif's ass than anyone else, but my point stands."

"Speaking of Grif...what is Tex's obsession with wrecking his balls?"

"You got me. He probably pissed her off so much that it became an impulsive action to her or something."

Carolina shrugged. "Eh, I would have done it. To be perfectly honest, Grif annoys me to that point a few times."

"Which surprises no one." Washington muttered under his breath.

"Hm? You say something?"

"No. Nothing." he said quickly while Epsilon snickered, knowing full well what he meant. "Anyway...how much longer until we get to Blood Gulch?"

"Captain said a week at best. At worst? A month."

"HAH!" Tucker cried, slamming Sarge's hand down on the table. "Boo-yah, motherfucker!"

"Grgrgr! Dangnabit you dirty blue! You cheated!" The leader of Red Team declared in outrage.

"Oh bullshit! How can you cheat at arm wrestling?"

"Okay, seriously. What the hell?" Grif scratched the back of his head, utterly confused. "How in the hell is CABOOSE of all people beating me at checkers?!"

"Me and Tucker played this all the time!" the childish blue soldier answered with a grin. "He always made us bet our armor, too." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. Sadly, it was still loud enough for Tucker and Sarge to hear. "He really likes to strip!"

The dark-skinned male scowled. "Do not!" he shouted. "You just kept winning!"

Wash quirked an eyebrow. "...you played strip checkers?" he asked, utterly deadpan. "And you lost?"

"Okay, in my defense, Church also had to strip naked whenever we played before he got his old body fucked up!"

Epsilon shuddered. "Don't remind me." he said. As the AI Fragment of the Alpha, he had every memory belonging to the original. Initially, he had no memories of Alpha's time in Blood Gulch, but their close proximity back at the Command Base Facility had brought forth such information. It was no doubt a result of Alpha coming into close contact with the AI who had the closest synchronization with him, given their circumstances. "I seriously thought Caboose was going to rape me."

"I would have paid good money to see that." Tucker chimed, snickering. "Still, I don't get why he likes you so much. You're a...a...dammit, what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Blue Pixie?" Sarge offered.

"Asshole?" Grif suggested.

Tucker snapped his fingers. "That's it! Asshole!"

"And I wear it with pride, thank you very much." Epsilon said smugly. "Anyway...where's Simmons?"

A loud belch, followed by a loud growling sound groaning, succeeded then by violent wrenching, answered his question. Carolina winced. "...that's what he gets for eating fast food."

"Nah. I think it's more like his cybernetic organs are acting up." Grif piped up.

"Wait, what? Since when did he get artificial organs?" Wash asked.

"Before all this Meta and Freelancer bullshit happened. Sarge made Simmons donate all his organs to me due to mine failing."

"How'd that happen?"

"Long story short? The Blue's tank came in, busted up our jeep, and mine got wrecked all to hell." Grif gave Tucker the stink-eye. "By the way, thanks a lot for that, asshole."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Bitch, please." he said. "This was during the whole O'Malley bullshit. We had to get your guys' radios turned off!"

"By marching in with your tank? Yeah, great idea, Einstein."

"...you know." Epsilon spoke up. "After remembering all this shit, it's a wonder how the fuck we're even alive."

"I know..." Wash agreed. "I'm surprised you guys all didn't kill each other by now..."

Sarge grunted. "Oh, that's the plan, Wash!" he said as he took out a cigar. "Course, we can get back to that in Blood Gulch! Ah, my old bunk...sweet, sweet memories!"

"What memories?!" Grif exclaimed. "The closest memories I have is you trying to kill me!"

Sarge sighed. "Ah, those were the best days of my life." He then scowled, glaring at the fat orange soldier. "And yet, here you are, still breathing..."

"Yeah, well, fuck you too, old man."

Carolina shook her head. Strangely, a smile found its way to her face. How odd...who would have thought she could smile like this around a bunch of idiots? And to think, just days ago, she was about ready to kill them. For the first time in a long while...she felt like she was back home. Back with everyone. With York. North. Maine. Everyone she considered to be friends in Project Freelancer.

Her sense of nostalgia was quickly replaced by sorrow. There would be no returning to those days. They were all gone, save for Wash. They put an end to Project Freelancer. Some would be tried as war criminals. Others would be be able to live out normal lives. She hoped that Illinois, that lovable drunkard of an explosives nut, was able to fulfill his dream of hopping on an island with a shack lined with booze with a good view of the ocean.

"You miss them, don't you?" Wash said. Surprised, she turned to find him smiling softly. "Not a day goes by that I don't remember the good times. Heh...you remember the first mission we went on with Maine?"

"How could I forget?" Carolina smiled with a shake of her head. "He nearly puked on the Pelican and just about screamed his head off when we jumped out of it."

The blonde-haired soldier laughed. "Yeah. You always used to treat him like a little brother, too. Sometimes I think you're like a mother hen."

"...if you want to know the truth, Wash, I treated him a little more than that." This earned a confused look from Wash. "He was...I don't know how to explain it. Something about him reminded me of, well...how things used to be. Back before I became a Freelancer. Hell, back before the world went to hell."

"You...liked him?"

The red-haired woman sighed. "I don't know. I was already seeing York, but...yeah. I guess I did."

"Ugh..." Epsilon gagged. "Are you seriously confessing you had the hots for the scariest mute in the galaxy? I saw his records. He was, like, what? 18? 19 when he became a soldier? And how old are you?"

"Shut up, Epsilon." She scowled. "That was years ago."

"Yeah, whatever, ya cougar."

A tick mark rampaged above her eyebrow. "...you know, I can delete you."

"Eh, you could...but you won't." Epsilon said cheekily. "You love me too much."

Wash snickered. "I wouldn't push your luck, Church."

"You just have to take the fun outta it, don't ya Wash?"

Of course, not a single of the soldiers aboard the ship - the famed Blood Gulch Crew, alternatively the Reds and Blues of Project Freelancer - knew what would await them. Not Grif due to his laziness and his accidental loss of his drink. Not Simmons and his OCD disorder and making sure everything runs perfectly. Not Sarge in his typical old-war hound soldier mindset. Not Tucker caught in the moment of thinking about banging a pilot. Not Caboose in his usual antics. And most certainly not Washington.

In less than 48 hours, they would crash land on a certain planet in the middle of nowhere. Of course, that is a story...for another day.

* * *

 _A response, from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy_

 _Dear General,_  
 _I have received and am currently reviewing the information you have sent._  
 _I am pleased to hear that Miss Polendina has successfully reached out to the AI designated Theta. And it sounds as if the Omega AI's rehabilitation is moving along well with the aid from the AI, Delta._  
 _Of course, given Omega's nature as the Personality Core of Rage, it is best if we take care. The last thing we need is him escaping and causing mayhem._  
 _Regarding the development of these prototypes based off of the data from Mr. Arc's Freelancer equipment, I can understand your reasons for doing so. However, I must remind you that we are in times of peace. Despite the lingering threat of Salem and her pawns, as Qrow has informed me, a show of force will only make them more careful._  
 _We must tread lightly._  
 _Additionally, we must keep the existence of anything in regards to Project Freelancer, the AI Fragments and the UNSC out of the ears of both the Altesian Parliament and the Vale High Council._  
 _In the meantime, I will be expecting your next visit in the coming days. Until next time, old friend._

 **A/N:** Credits go to Youtuber Grav in regards for Maine's Brute Shot MK-II! Credits also go to DeviantArtist strixnebulosa01 for the new cover page!


	14. Volume 2: Chapter III

_A letter from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy to Qrow Branwen  
_

 _Qrow,  
I've received your latest report in regards to Salem's movements.  
To say that she has pawns acting of her will is rather...disconcerting. By herself, the Grimm she spawned for each day that passes is troubling enough. To learn that she now has conspirators besides Hazel...it bodes trouble for us.  
Ever since Amber's attackers had gone silent, the events that had transpired these last few months have been more than concerning. The White Fang conspiring with Roman Torchwick, one of the worst humans imaginable, as well as robbing several stores containing Dust...  
I ask that you please continue your investigations.  
On another note, I also ask that you please keep an eye on the Branwen Tribe's movements. The High Council has been growing concerned with their increasing movements after their foolish attempt at launching yet another doomed expedition into the Grimmlands.  
At the rate things progress...I fear Salem's wish for a civil unrest may come to pass._

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter III: Normalcy? Bitch, PLEASE!

"Remind me again." Church said as he sat atop Maine's shoulder, legs dangling over the appendage while he leaned on his hand. If he had a face, he'd look positively and utterly bored. "WHY are we here?"

"To help Jaune-er, Maine..." Pyrrha corrected herself, cursing her slip. She really needed to get used to calling him that. "Get back into the school curriculum. Unless, of course, Freelancer training also covered studying normal topics."

The Alpha scoffed. "Doubt it." He then looked over to where Team RWBY could be found, all of whom were playing a board game. "You know what? I'm gonna go and see what Red and Ice Queen are up to. If anything boring happens, don't call me." With that, he jumped off the former Freelancer's shoulder and flickered away, soon reappearing with Team RWBY.

'Finally.' Maine growled. 'I thought he'd never go away.'

The Spartan amazon smiled, giggling. "Now, now." she said, patting his shoulder. "Anyway, do you get what you're reading so far?"

Nov 12'So far, so good...' He shrugged. Despite his memories being shoddy still, he was able to obtain a grasp of the material he was reading. It was about battle tactics against Grimm. While he had experience in this field from Freelancer, he was more of the charge-in-headfirst-and-beat-the-crap-out-of-everything type of guy. The real strategist of the operations was Carolina.

Even so, fighting against other people and Aliens were different than fighting Grimm.

From what he's gathered, Grimm fight instinctively, drawn to negative emotions and behaving savagely. However, if they live long enough, they begin to learn and eventually formulate cognitive thought and adapt. That was what made them dangerous.

It was quite interesting. As for the more...school-oriented material, yeah, he was barely understanding any of it. Project Freelancer wasn't exactly an upper-division education center. As soldiers, as they needed to know were their individual skillsets and how to effectively eliminate enemies and complete the objective. Here, he was supposed to know crap like mathematics and history and the likes. He knew his grammar well, so there wasn't anything to worry about there. History might be easier. Just give him a history book and it will be a piece of cake. But math? A bigger headache than having an AI in your head!

"Just take your time." Ren advised him when he saw the frustrated look on his face. "After all, you've been gone for so long."

The blonde still glared at the math book in front of him, but smiled gratefully at his friend. 'Thanks, Ren.'

"Anytime." Even now, it was hard for Maine to understand how they could read his thoughts so easily. Was his face practically showing what he thought? Were they mind readers or something? Or did they just know him that well? Dammit, he wished he remembered more about his team! The Mistralian boy then looked at Nora, who was sleeping on the table and sighed. "Nora...we've talked about this. Libraries are meant for studying. Not sleeping."'

He gave her a slight nudge. "Zzz..." And she was still conked out.

"I don't understand this girl sometimes..." Pyrrha remarked with wry amusement. "How is it that a girl like her can sleep through class and yet still fall asleep here in the library?"

Ren shook his head. "You...tend to expect it from her." he said before he took a sip out of the small cup on the table. Unlike most libraries, they were allowed to bring in drinks, so long as they were willing to pay for whatever water damages done to the books they borrowed. "So then...what are your impressions on having Ms. Texas as our new hand-to-hand combat instructor?"

'We're fucked.' Maine stated simply. 'I don't remember much of what happened when Sigma started to mess with my head, but I can tell you, straight up, that we're boned. Hard. In a fight, I could beat anyone in Project Freelancer in brute strength alone. I even beat Carolina in that department, but she still kicks my ass. Texas?' He shook his head, waving a hand. 'She beat me like a drum.'

"I-I see..." Pyrrha laughed nervously, not wanting to mention how true that statement was based on their observations from his memories. "I guess she was ranked number 1 for a reason."

'Damn straight.' He paused briefly before shrugging his shoulders. 'Of course, Carolina's equal in that department. Her only real problem is her competitive streak. Once she thinks there's someone who has an edge over her, she tends to get too heated. It was understandable, since we were pretty much trying to earn the Director's approval, but she was worse that all of us.'

"I...can imagine."

"Nooooo!" Ruby cried from her table. "My fearlless soldiers!"

Church barked with laughter. "Hah! Shoulda seen that one coming, Red!"

"Shut up, Church!"

The AI laughed at the poor girl's loss of her forces. He manifested his hologram over to where RWBy was playing Remnant the Game, a card-based game where up to four players play for the conquest of Remnant. And right now, Yang had just destroyed Ruby's army with a Giant Nevermore care through a risky gamble.

Suffice to say, Church was entertained.

"Eh, most of them were probably androids." Yang shrugged before a grin formed on her face as she began to collect the spoils of victory. "And now I take my rewards! Which are double this round thanks to the Mistral Trade Route!"

The silver-eyed girl scowled. "Bah!" she said angrily. For a moment, it had stirred Nora awake, who from her startled gasp was probably thinking about pancakes. Irritated with her loss, she crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.

"Oh, and what's this? Smugglers of the Wind Path?"

Ruby's irritation grew. Unbelievable! Her dear sister! Milking her dry for cash! Oh the horror! "Bah! Bah I say!"

'They...' Maine frowned, unsure of whether or not he should console the girl. 'Certainly look like they're having fun.'

"Well, Remnant the game is pretty popular." Pyrrha answered.

"Have you no heart?!" Ruby whined pitifully as she soon collapsed on the table, weeping. "No..."

Church snickered. "Better luck next time, Red." he said before turning to Weiss. "You're up, Ice Queen. Wonder how long you'll last?"

"I have said it before, and I will say it again." the heiress growled. "Will you people quit calling me that?! And secondly..." She glanced down at the cards in her hand, unsure of what exactly she was looking at. She had read the rules, but she still didn't quite understood the purpose of the game. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on."

Yang snickered as she slid over to Weiss, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and tapping at the cards. "Look, it's easy! You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus."

"That sounds dumb." Weiss scoffed.

"See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge..." Though one might consider it cheating, Yang began to look through Weiss' cards and found something of interest. "Oh, oh! Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet—"

Ruby let out a pitiful whine. "Nooo!"

"—and put it in your hand!"

The girl slowly raised an eyebrow. "...Okay?"

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom!" The blonde brawler then developed a cold look, aiming a finger at her as she slowly returned to her seat. "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war."

The explanation didn't really help Weiss at all. She scratched the back of her head, staring at the cards in confusion before looking back at Yang. "And that means...what exactly?"

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!"

Upon registering this, Weiss rose from her seat with an evil grin on her face.

"Oh boy...cue megalomania..." Church murmured.

"Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"

Maine sweatdropped, noting how eccentric Team RWBY was while Ren sighed. "I thought the library was supposed to be for studying..." he muttered before going back to his studies.

"Sorry, Weiss." Yang grinned as she held up a card. "Trap card." Instantly, the heiress' melodrama came to an abrupt end as she watched Yang scoop up her newfound rewards. "Your armies have been destroyed."

Like her partner before her, Weiss could only slump in her seat as tears threatened to spill from her face. "I-I hate this game of emotions we play!"

"And then!" Church waved a hand dramatically as if he were reciting Shakespeare. "There was one!"

Ruby hopped into Weiss' lap and held her consolingly. "Don't worry, Weiss. Well get through this together."

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" The heiress hugged the red cloaked girl with tear stained eyes.

Yang giggled madly at the sight. It was so sweet, she was tempted to take a picture. Instead, though, she turned to Blake and put her hands behind her head. "Alright Blake, you're up!

Up until this point, the Faunus in hiding had been listless and barely paid any attention to the game. "Oh, um..." she said,s napping out of whatever deep thoughts she was in. "Sorry, what am I doing?

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant!"

"Right."

Church snickered, turning to the blonde. "Bet you ten bucks she kicks your ass."

"Challenge accepted, little man." Yang grinned viciously, cracking her fingers. Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's antics. Her ears twitched slightly as she heard faintly familiar footsteps approaching. Looking over, she found a familiar mess of blonde hair, complete with a ripped chest open in front of everyone present. "Hey, monkey boy. What up?"

Sun grinned. "Sup, losers?" he said, giving them a two-finger salute.

By this point, Ruby had returned to her chair and greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Sun."

"Yo. Ruby, Yang, Blake-" he gave a small wink at the girl, causing her to blink. Hadn't he done that before when they first met as well? "-and Ice Queen."

Weiss growled. "Oh, for the love of-! WILL YOU ALL QUIT CALLING ME THAT?!"

"And it's reactions like that that make us keep calling you that, princess." Church quipped.

"Shut it, you!"

"And I rest my case." Church smirked in amusement.

Sun rolled his eyes at the AI's antics before gesturing to Neptune beside him. "Never got the chance to introduce you to my teammate." he said. "Guys, this is my partner, Neptune. Also known as Nep-nep!"

"Dude, we've talked about this." Neptune sighed. "I refuse to be called by the nickname of a video game character. Even if we do share the same freakin' name!" He then raised a finger. "And secondly, aren't libraries for studying and reading?"

"THANK YOU!" Ren exclaimed in gratitude. Clearly someone gets it!

"Ah! Pancakes!" Nora exclaimed upon waking up.

Sun shook his head. "Dude, don't be a nerd."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Neptune wagged his fingers. "Not nerd. Intellectual, remember?" He then turned to the girls and smiled, offering a wave. "Hey."

The girls waved back, though Church and Maine noticed how he seemed to stare at Weiss the most, eliciting a curious look from the two, thus leaning in. Also noticing this was Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR.

"So, Neptune." Weiss said. "Where are you from?"

The blue-haired teen cracked a wide smile as he stepped forward. "And I don't believe I got your name, snow angel."

"Oh, its Weiss..."

The boy smiled as he gently took her hand, giving it a chaste kiss. "Pleasure, madam~"

The result was rather hilarious. Weiss' face exploded into atomic red, and also left a stuttering mess much to the wry amusement of everyone present. "Wow..." Church said, looking at Neptune. "And here I thought a Carolina clone and Texas' long lost BDSM sis was all I had to be reminded about that damn canyon. Now I find this world's Tucker!" He gave a small groan, flickering back over to Maine. "I swear, if I find out this world has a Sarge, I'm gonna lose it."

'Sarge...' Maine frowned. 'Was he the one with the shotgun?'

"Yep." the AI nodded, emphasizing the 'p'. He then looked back over to Sun, who was talking to Blake. Going by the girl's face, though, it was obvious something was eating away at her. She had paid little to no attention to the game at all. Eventually, she just seemed to be fed up and stood up abruptly, gently pushing Sun away. This, of course, earned her concerned looks from her teammates. "I've said it again, is Cat Girl over there on her period or something?"

Pyrrha frowned in concern, folding her hands on her lap. "Maybe she's just...worried about what happened at the docks a few months ago. She's been oddly distant, ever since it happened."

Maine furrowed his brow. 'The docks?'

"What Vomit Boy said." Church nodded, ignoring the baneful glare the blonde sent his way. "What happened at the docks? Well, other than Penny supposedly being a badass and all."

"Well, I don't know much other than what Ruby told me and what was on the news, but supposedly...the White Fang was working with Roman Torchwick to steal a cargo of Dust."

Church cocked his head. "The who what now?"

"The White Fang," Ren explained to the holographic soldier. "Used to be a peaceful protest organization up until five years ago. It changed leaders, and since then, they've become a terrorist organization. They're quite hateful of humans, given that we've been suppressing them for ages. The Schnee Dust Corporation has not made things any easier, as they've been increasing Faunus labor."

The red-haired Carolina lookalike nodded. "And Roman Torchwick is a well-known mobster. Some have even taken to calling him the greatest criminal mastermind in all of Vale."

Church bobbed his head, folding his arms. "So then...a bunch of furry angsty and majorly ticked off animal people are working with a guy who's not only human, but a guy with a major stick rammed up his ass?" Though a crude summary, it was accurate as the two nodded. "And...why is Cat Girl so concerned?"

Suddenly, the two looked uneasy. Maine frowned at this. Why would his friends be uneasy. 'Pyrrha.' He gently put a hand over hers, looking at her in worry. 'Why is Blake so worried about the White Fang working with Roman?'

"Because..." Pyrrha struggled to say. She knew that it was horrible to reveal the truth, especially when she promised she wouldn't say it to anyone. Jaune, initially, also knew the truth, so it would be okay if she revealed it to him, right? Eventually, she sighed. "...because Blake used to be apart of the White Fang."

* * *

 _'Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?!'_

 _'Didn't you get the memo, kid? The White Fang and I are going on a little joint business venture together!'_

The memory of what happened back at the dock freighter area on the outskirts of Vale city replayed over and over in Blake's mind as she sat on her bed, reading her book. It was a vein attempt to try and remove herself from what happened, but no matter how hard she tried, she always came back to that day.

It just would not leave her mind. Questions plagued her. Why did the White Fang attack? Why did they need so much Dust? Why were they working with Torchwick? None of it made any sense. Sienna would not have worked with humans at all.

She didn't know the woman well enough other than that her father thought highly of her. Enough so that he chose to allow her to succeed him. Since then, their methods had changed significantly. Yes, they were well on their own, and their actions were having an impact...but Blake doubted what they were doing. Things only got worse when Adam had started to change. As he rose up the ranks, he became more violent. More vengeful. Consumed by rage.

It scared her. Nowhere did she see the boy she used to have a childish crush on. All she saw was a man willing to spill blood.

She knew Adam. And she knew Sienna well enough to know that they wouldn't work with humans.

So why...?

Why were they working for someone like Roman Torchwick?!

As she pondered, she failed to notice the dorm room door swinging open, the rest of her team walking in "Agh!" Yang growled, stomping in with a fiery scowl on her face and her eyes blazing red. "We should have never let him play!"

"You're just mad you lost on the first round..." Weiss responded.

Ruby snickered, utterly and totally pleased by how Neptune had dominated her sister. Ah, revenge. So sweet.

Blake looked at her friends. They acted so carefree, even though they knew exactly what happened at the docks that night. Especially Ruby. She saw the last moments before Roman's plans went completely FUBAR. So how could they act so cheerful? Weren't they worried about Roman and the White Fang?! Groaning out of frustration, she threw her back back to her nightstand and hopped out of her bed. However, just as she past Weiss, her arm snatched around her wrist.

"Stop." The heiress was practically daring her to challenge that command. Her grip was solid, despite how frail her hands looked. "Lately, you have been antisocial, withdrawn, and most importantly moody." With a swift, yet also gentle tug, Blake looked at her team, all of whom stared at her with the utmost concern. It touched her, it really did...but she didn't understand how they couldn't be so more concerned about the situation. "And we want to know why!"

Yang nodded, crossing her arms. "Normally, I'd say its you, but...you've been getting away from us less and less these days. Hell, even way before Vomit Boy wrecked us back at Forever Fall!"

"And it's unacceptable!" Weiss crossed her arms, eyes chilly. "You made a promise to me-" she stopped herself before throwing her arm, gesturing to the rest of Team RWBY. "-to us that you'd tell us if something was wrong! So, Blake Belladonna..." Out of complete nowhere, the white-haired girl whipped out a chair from seemingly thin air and proceeded to stand on it, aiming a finger, which was dangerously close to Blake's nose. "...what is wrong with you?!"

A few seconds passed before the moment of insanity ended as Weiss quickly put the chair back from where she got it.

Insanity and weird moment aside, Blake looked at her friends. She let out a small, frustrated sigh that she had been building up before she balled her fists. "It's just...I don't understand why everyone can be so calm."

Ruby immediately knew what she was talking about. Softly, she touched her arm. "You're still thinking about Torchwick?" she asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!" she snapped, throwing her arms in the air and pacing around the room. "Something BIG is happening, and no one is doing anything about it!"

"The Headmaster told us not to worry." Yang said, not seeing the bigger issue here. "Between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well, I'm not!" Blake hadn't meant to say it so hostily, nor as fierceful as she did. She pulled back, noticing how Yang seemed to recoil. Reigning in her panic, she took another deep breath. The anxiety and fear in her heart hadn't quelled in the least. "They don't know the White Fang like I do."

"But we're just students. We're not ready-" Weiss started.

"And we'll never **BE** ready!" Blake argued. "Roman and the White Fang are out there doing who knows what, and nothing is being done. They're not going t stand by and wait until we graduate!" She grit her teeth and shook her head, unable to rid herself of these horrible thoughts. "They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"

A silence followed. No one in the room spoke. They were uncertain of what to say. Weiss bit her lip, unable to raise any argument. She knew Blake was right...but what could they possibly do? They were still students. Children. What could mere Huntresses-in-Training possibly do?

Sadly, as she expected, Ruby, the leader of the Team and resident optimist, waved her hands around while looking rather manic. Before she could even hope to stop her, it was too late. "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly taking down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... Say aye!"

She was slightly out of breath afterwards. Weiss groaned, palming her face. Sometimes, she envied what went on in that little girl's head. "Yes!" Yang grinned, immediately liking the idea, being the hellraiser fun-lover she was. "I love it when your feisty!"

"Well..." Realizing that she was outvoted and had no chance of convincing them, she shook her head. "I suppose it could be fun."

Blake was stunned at first by how easily her friends wanted to help. Soon after, a smile spread across her face. "Thank you." she said from the bottom of her heart. "All of you. We're in this together then."

"Damn right we are!" Yang said, flicking her finger before looking at her younger sister. "Right, Rubes?"

"I FORGOT MY BOARD GAME!"

Weiss face-palmed. "We're doomed."

In a burst of rose petals, Ruby dashed right out of the room, plowing into the hallway and running through the hallway straight to the library. Or, at least, that was the plan until she met an immovable object. At full force, she found herself slamming against something firm and tough before recoiling and hitting the floor, lying on her back. "Ow..." she groaned, rubbing her nose which received the full brunt of the slam. "Anyone got the number of the Goliath that ran me over...?"

"Wow, Red." a dry voice said with amusement. Ruby looked up and found the immovable object, none other than Maine with Church on his shoulder, both of whom were looking down at her. "Way to come at us. What's next? Cartwheels?"

"Hi, Church." she greeted. "Hi, Maune."

Maine quirked an eyebrow. 'Was she saying Maine, or Jaune?'

"I think both." the AI said. "Oi, Red. You okay in the head?"

"Fine." Ruby said as she got up to her feet. "Sorry about that. I forgot my board game at the library and-" She stopped mid-sentence when she found a familiar box held under the blonde soldier's arm, causing her eyes to light up. "My game!" Maine smiled as he held it out for her to take, which she accepted gratefully. "Did you grab it for me?"

"Well, personally speaking, I wanted to take it, but Vomit Boy wouldn't let me. Next time, keep an eye on your crap, alright pipsqueak?" Ruby blushed, embarrassed as she scratched her cheek before thanking the two, returning back to her room. The two watched her close the door behind her before they turned to each other. "By the way, I want access to the porn channels as compensation."

Maine rolled his eyes. 'Fine. Just tell me what you got out of what you heard in their room.'

Unknown to Team RWBY, Maine had 'persuaded' Church to hide in Ruby's Scroll and listen in on their conversation. It was an invasion of Privacy, he knew, but when he heard that Blake was once a member of the White Fang...memories of his old life as a member of Project Freelancer came back, and with them, memories of Connie. He knew it was unfair to compare them, but...her betrayal still hit her hard. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind before he returned himself back to the conversation.

"Fine." Church grunted. "Red and her girlfriends are gonna do something stupid. They're gonna try and play hero and stop the Furries and the Kingpin wannabe."

'WHAT?!' Maine silently screamed. Are they going to chase after terrorists and criminals? 'Are they stupid?!'

"Yeah, I think that pretty much sums up their plan, blondie." Church nodded. "I swear, not even my team and the reds were that stupid or suicidal...and that's saying something. Well, excluding Caboose and the stupid part."

'Weren't you team killed by one of your men?'

"Like I said, excluding Caboose."

The leader of JNPR groaned, face-palming. What the hell were they thinking? They were kids for god's sake. What could they do against a bunch of terrorists? Especially ones that hated humans with a passion? He knew Ruby was childish, but idiotic as well? He gave a sigh of frustration, shaking his head. If they were really this stupid, then-

"Excuse me? You a student here?" Turning, Maine found three people behind him. Their uniforms were the same, but they were different from the ones worn here in Beacon. They were completely black with white trims. It was two girls and a boy. The male in question had messy silver hair with his belt buckle hanging down to the left side. The other females were quite eye-catching, with the youngest-looking having dark skin and mint-green hair with red eyes. The oldest, and perhaps the leader of the group, had long black hair and golden eyes. The male of the trio was the one speaking to him. "We're students from Haven. You know where the dorm is?"

Church stared at the trio flatly. "...who the fuck are you three?"

'Alpha...' Maine growled, glaring at the AI. In response, the cobalt-colored soldier flipped him the bird.

The green-haired girl blinked in surprise. "What the heck is that?"

"And why's the dude growling?" the boy asked.

The golden-eyed girl gave them a curt look, and they instantly shut up. She then turned back to the blonde before her and smiled. "My name is Cinder Fall, leader of Team CNEM. The girl behind is Emerald Sustrai, and the boy next to her is Mercury Black. We're from Mistral, participating in the Vytal Festival."

"Oh, the big fighting tournament or whatever." Church remembered how Texas was talking about that during Combat Class as he watched the other students get the shit kicked out of each other. "What makes you think we know anything?" Maine gave him another look, and he sighed. "Fine." The AI then turned to the door. "Hey, Red!"

The door creaked open, showing Ruby. "Yeah?"

"These guys-" he nudged his head at Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. "-are here for that tournament thing you brats are going to be in. They're asking where the dorms for Haven are."

"They're just east of here!"

"Thanks, Red." Smiling and waving at the three newcomers, Ruby ducked her head back into her room. He then turned back to the trio. "Well, there you go."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You're...not the most friendly of people, are you little dude?"

"Fuck off." Church snapped. Maine growled again, glaring at the AI. "What? Hey, just cause I'm stuck as your damn translator doesn't mean I have to be nice!" Another growl. "Hey, don't pin that shit on me! I'm not the idiot who let himself get mindfucked!"

"If..." Cinder slowly spoke, looking curiously at Church. "I may ask, what exactly are you?"

"A motherfucking ghost." came the response. "A ghost that's stuck as Vomit Boy's translator."

"Translator?" Emerald asked. "What for?"

"Would you believe me if I told you he got shot in the throat point blank nine times?"

Mercury whistled. "Damn. That sounds hardcore. Third or second year?"

Maine held up a finger. 'First year.'

"Seriously?! Damn, dude." the boy laughed, patting the blonde on the shoulder. "Well, thanks again. It was nice meetin' ya."

With a wave, the boy walked past him, the green haired girl following suit. The amber-eyed girl eyes the blonde teen for a bit before smirking.

"You are pretty interesting. I hope to see you around before the tournament starts." Without another word, she left as well.

Maine turned and watched her go, frowning in confusion before he turned to Church. 'The hell was that about?'

"Dude." Church said flatly. "Girls make no sense. I learned that when I met Texas."

'Is this because she kicked your ass on several occasions?...and stealing your wallet after sleeping together?'

The AI sighed, shaking his head. "Hell if I know. I don't even know if half of these memories are actually supposed to be that old codger who had a thing for his dead wife or Private Jimmy!" He paused a bit before putting a hand at the "chin" of his helmet. "You know, it's actually weird, now that I think about it. I was stuck in the body of a guy who I thought was my best bud for a long time. Who knows if what I remember is actually right?"

'Hey now. Don't go getting philosophical on me.'

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

* * *

"Shot in the throat at point blank." Mercury repeated with a grin. "Nine times. That is badass."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Boys..." she muttered under her breath. Honestly, what was so impressive about surviving something like that? Okay, on second thought, it did sound very impressive, but it was just a trophy wound. She imagined it must have been hard and very frustrating, being unable to talk and whatnot. Of course, that also made her wonder what in the hell that thing from earlier was. "What was that...holograph? And why was it so rude?"

"Something of interest." Cinder remarked with a mysterious smile. "The armor was quite similar to the one worn by Mrs. Church here at Beacon. There may be a connection."

"So..." Mercury put his hands behind his back, swinging his legs up in the air. "Keep an eye on him?"

"Yes. Also, Emerald."

The girl straightened her back, standing to full attention. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Inform Roman that it's just about time to begin Phase 2."

* * *

"So, how goes restoring Theta, Penny?" Ironwood asked as he and the mechanical girl sat in a rather lofty room. It was a luxury suite, apart of the rather peculiar cruiser heading to Beacon Academy. It had been a few days since his last visit there, though it was more or less mere formality and inquiring and sharing information about the armor he received. On the subject, with Delta's help, they were steadily getting closer to unlocking the system firewalls protecting the data held inside. What lay inside just may give them the edge they needed to push back against the Grimm once and for all.

Back to the matter at hand, this time he was arriving at Vale for two purposes. The first was the most natural: the Vytal Festival. As the Headmaster of Atlas, he naturally wanted to show his students that he believed in their capabilities. The second was actually held in the cargo bay, which he intended to show to Ozpin. The fruits of labor.

Penny Polendina smiled widely. "Thanks to Friend Ruby's suggestion, I was able to make headway." she said giddily. "He's cooperating well. As for Omega..." A sheepish look touched upon her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm afraid it is taking a bit more time with him."

"Understandable." the man said, taking a sip of his coffee before he smiled. "I'm happy to hear you made some friends in Vale already. Ruby Rose must be a wonderful person." Though that went without saying, given who her mother and father were. "Also, I talked with the Professor. It took a bit of work, but...before the Festival starts, you're free to walk around Vale and visit Beacon to go see your friend."

Penny's eyes widened. Moments later, the largest smile spread across her face. "Oh, thank you, General!"

She was completely ecstatic! She can freely visit Ruby! They can talk, paint each other's nails, share stories, and talk about cute boys!

"And I know this goes without saying," Ironwood continued. "But under no circumstances are you to share with your friends your secret." That put a slight damper on the mood, but otherwise, understandable. She gave a nod of affirmation, pleasing the man before he turned his head to the side, where his Scroll rested at the corner of the table. "Delta, how is the current progress regarding the decryption?"

Emerging from the Scroll was a familiar holographic green soldier. [At our current pace, all data will be accessible within the next 1,906 hours.] he answered. [And that is taking into account all technician shifts and all-nighters.]

"I see..." Ironwood frowned in disappointment. 1906 hours...that's almost 80 days. And that estimation is based on continuous work. To think such an encryption could be so complex and secure.

As much as he hated to admit it...Project Freelancer's Director was thorough in his security.

[While on the subject of decryption and hacking, I would like to bring up a point of concern regarding the Cross Continental Transmit system.]

"How so?"

[Based on current analysis, it seems that the system has an outdated firewall and anti-virus system. I have also located at least five backdoors within the system where it is possible for hackers to bypass security and access delicate software and information. Additionally, there is their dependence on each other. All it would take is someone to effectively disable or destroy one of the towers and render all communication between kingdoms inoperable.]

Ironwood's face darkened, sighing as he folded his hands. "Believe me, I'm fully aware of the glaring flaws." he said grimly. "Unfortunately, convincing a group of senile old fools is much harder than you think."

No matter how much he pleaded the high council to make innovations to the CCT towers, ignored him. They claimed that they were good enough as is, that they were in a time of peace and no one would ever risk war.

They were naive and selfish.

Even with his position as a high-ranking member, even holding two seats in the Counsel, he was still unable to sway them. Of course, Ozpin nor Leonardo were able to convince their respective authorities, either. As things stood, Delta's assumptions about someone attacking the CCT just might come to pass. Then again, that was why he was bringing his fleet with him. To ensure that the CCT would be protected if such a thing was to happen.

Even if Oz disapproved of it, he found it cautious, risks be damned.

[There is also another matter I would like to discuss.] Delta continued, regaining the general's attention. [Regarding the STRIKER Unit, it was clearly designed with all of the same modifications that all Freelancer tech was installed with. Particularly, it was equipped with the same equipment as Agent Maine's.]

Ironwood quirked an eyebrow. "Yes. After our first attempt at creating our own variant of this MJOLNER Powered Assault Armor, which is now in possession of Agent Texas, it's the first successful prototype unit designed to match Freelancer equipment. Of course, in terms of technology, it is significantly inferior to the original suit itself."

[However, there is the problem with the suit's power.] the AI Fragment of Logic countered. [Though it is much more stable and allows its user to use one of the enhancements, such as Agent North's Dome Energy Shield, it would quickly run out of power. The only way to stabilize it would be with the aid of an AI. That being said, there is another problem.]

"The compatibility." Penny said rather than Ironwood. "According to our tests with Delta, almost none of our selected personell capable of using the unit to its full potential were able to properly synchronize with the AIs. The only way to circumvent this would be to use the same method that the Director of Project Freelancer did and implant the AIs directly into the neural system."

"Which I refuse to do." Ironwood said, wagging a finger. "Under no circumstance will I risk the mentality of my men simply to increase their fighting capability."

Delta nodded. [A wise decision, given the records of such experiments.]

"So, why bring this up, Delta?"

[While it would take a great deal of time to find a suitable candidate that can properly synchronize with AIs such as myself, there is ONE person that could utilize the unit properly and efficiently, as well as synchronize with AI.]

The General already knew who he meant: Jaune Arc, also known as ex-Freelancer Agent Maine.

* * *

"What?!" Pyrrha shouted in alarm, shooting up from her bed with wide eyes. "Ruby and her friends are going to attack the White Fang?!"

Church scowled. "Hey, pipe down!" he snapped. "You want the whole damn neighborhood to hear?!"

"That's completely reckless." Ren frowned. "I don't understand why Ruby would even agree to such a crazy plan."

"You got me. I'm just the messenger. Got no clue what's going on in Red's head...not that I want to."

"Then I say we go!" Nora raised her arm in cheer. "They're gonna need backup!"

"E-excuse me?" Church choked. "I'm sorry. What part of, 'they're going on a suicide mission to stop a mobster and a bunch of murdering furries,' did you not understand?!"

"Uh...none of it. If they're going on a dangerous mission...then we should totally help out!"

"...good god, you are like Caboose." If he had a human face, he would have face-palmed. He didn't, but he did it anyway, slapping a hand against his helmet. "Why, oh why, did I agree to this shit?!"

Maine rolled his eyes. 'Oh, quit being so dramatic.'

"I think we should inform the staff." Ren suggested. "They're more qualified to handle something like this."

"But Blake does have a point." Pyrrha said, waving her hand. "Why on Earth would the White Fang work for a human like Torchwick? It is odd."

"Yeah. Why would a bunch of Faunus like them work with a mobster like Torchwick? I can't be the only one who sees something weird with that picture." Nora said.

The gunslinger of the group bit his lip. "Even still..."

"C'mon, flower boy!" Church urged him. "Do the right thing, and stop your friends from going on a suicide mission. You're the smart one of the group, man!"

Ren's expression was pensive. He was clearly thinking deeply on the matter. On one hand, Blake had a strong point. As a former White Fang member, she knew what the group was like better than anyone. It was quite strange how they were willing to work with a human. On the other hand, they were just kids. What could they possibly hope to do? It was suicide, trying to fight against a bunch of people. It was one thing to fight against Grimm. It was another thing ENTIRELY to try and go up against opponents who were more than willing to kill you. Ruby was young, so maybe she hadn't taken such a thing into account.

But...

"...what's your call, leader?" the magenta-eyed boy asked, looking at Maine. He blinked and pointed a finger at himself, as if making sure. "You're the one who brought up the issue. Whether or not we get involved is up to you."

"Hear that? Looks like you're calling the shots on this one. To save us the insanity and our lives, I hope you pick the smart choice." Church commented.

'Thanks a lot...' He muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

Maine scoffed. Nora and Pyrrha seemed to be on the side that wanted to help RWBY, but Ren was apprehensive about the whole thing. As for him, he already knew what to do. While he still had little memory about Ruby and her team, they were still friends.

'We're going in.'

"OH DAMMIT ALL!"

'Hey, you said I'd be calling the shots, and I just called it. We're going!'

"Motherfucker!" Church kicked the air in frustration. Nora laughed exitedly, a sinister gleam in her eyes while Pyrrha smiled widely, clasping her hands together in relief. Ren merely closed his eyes, nodding and accepting his leader's decision. "I swear to God...if you get us killed on this mission...I'm am haunting your asses in the afterlife..."

Church said angrily. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these people?! If he didn't know any better, everyone was just like the guys back at the canyon!

At least back there, the people knew what they were doing was stupid half the time!

* * *

The next day had more or less been preparations for Team RWBY. During the entirety of Professor Port's class, which was conveniently overtaken by ramblings of his days of glory, they went over their plan of attack. Once classes were said and done with, they reconvened back at their room. Strangely, though, Ruby decided that they were in need of a wardrobe change - spy outfits she remarked. Weiss, for her part, was still unsure of what to think, but she was secretly happy that Ruby had chosen her to select the outfits, even though she knew it would be pointless since their faces would still be seen.

Ruby's new outfit, dubbed "Slayer" (for the record, her idea, not Weiss') outfit consisted of a long-sleeve, light gray shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over top of the gray shirt was a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resemble the lacing on a corset. She wore a red skirt with a large black print of her emblem on the side and matching black tulle underneath. Her stockings and shoes remained the same as her usual outfit, though the boots lacked the red trim that decorated the top. A few pieces of metal were arranged in an abstract shape that are attached to the shoulder of her left sleeve, and her cloak's hood wrapped around her neck in a scarf-like fashion, while the rest hung down like normal.

Weiss' outfit, dubbed "Snow Pea", was relatively more simple than Ruby's. She wore a white, double-breasted jacket with black piping, cuffs and buttons over a white, pleated full skirt with a black lace trim. She also wore a pair of white, thigh high boots with black heels and lace-topped black stockings.

Blake's outfit, "Intruder", consisted of a white, v-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three quarter sleeves. Her emblem was printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt. She wore black pants that had a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt. Attached to the rear of the belt was a black piece of fabric that covered her from hip to hip. Underneath was a longer, translucent, purple piece of fabric. She also wore black high-heel boots with two straps and buckles and purple undersoles, reaching to mid-calf. She still wore the black wraps around her arms, along with her ever-present black bow.

Yang's outfit, "Hunter", was arguably the hardest to put together, given what Yang had asked for. Still, she made it look good. She wore a deep-collared cream vest worn over a low cut black shirt; both were covered by a dark gray shrug with a raised collar, three quarter sleeves adorned with a single black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A black miniskirt was worn under the cream vest. A pair of crooked black belts with gold accents were slung around her hip, with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She wore thigh high stockings attached to her miniskirt by garter-belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold. She also wore black ankle boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back tied in a bow. Around her neck was a purple pendant set in silver.

As they made the final preparations, Blake who was fastening the the wraps on her forearms. "I thought class would NEVER end." she said.

Atop her bed, Ruby smiled widely. "Alright guys, today's the day!" she said, hopping down and flicking her nose. "It's just about time for the mission to start!"

"You remember not to lose your board game?" Yang asked with a teasing grin, causing her sister to groan and shoot her a cute glare. "Just makin' sure, Ruby. On another note, nobody knows we're doing this, right?"

Weiss scoffed. "Of course not!" she said fervently. "Unless Ruby was on a sugar rush, which I made sure of, nobody is even remotely aware of what we're doing."

"GUESS AGAIN, BITCHES!"

The four girls jumped at the sudden scream. They all whirled around with their weapons at ready, thinking it was an intruder.

They were greeted by the sight of Maine standing by the door with Church projected on his shoulder. And he wasn't alone. Behind him was the rest of Team JNPR, though much to their surprise, they were not the only one to receive a wardrobe change.

Pyrrha no longer had a Spartan slash Amazon look going for her. She wore a white top with gold accents, along with a lace corset at her naval. The sleeves were rather puffy and split open to show off the bracers she wore around her wrists. Below, she wore a dark red skirt with a black design resembling dancing flames, complete with long leather boots that reached up to the thighs. Beneath that, she wore black stockings.

Nora's look had also changed. She wore a dark pink blazer with dark blue lines along the sleeves and sides of the jacket, complete with her emblem printed on her left shoulder and back. Underneath that was a turtleneck with a zipper that ran down to the center of the chest, which was split open to reveal a white shirt underneath it. Below, she wore tight-fitting jeans that hugged her hips rather tightly, complete with bulky white sneakers that definitely seemed to be several times her own size.

Ren's wardrobe change was by far the most modest. He wore a green tunic with only a single sleeve, reaching down to the knuckles of his hand. His right arm was completely exposed, but had a bracer wrapped around the forearm with his own emblem branded on it. He wore simple gray pants with shin guards, along with a holster for his signature weapon Storm Flower, strapped to his left pants leg. He also wore simple wooden sandals.

Maine, on the other hand, remained in his typical clothes, though the girls found a small grin on his face as he held up two fingers in greeting. Nora grinned madly as she held up two victory signs. Pyrrha smiled nervously as she waved while Ren bowed his head to them with an apologetic look on his face.

"For the record," Church said. "This was not my idea. Blame Vomit Boy over here."

"What?" All eyes snapped over to the towering blonde. "Jaune!"

'Hey...I'm not about to let you all run into a suicide mission.' He shrugged. 'Had enough of that back with the other idiots in Project Freelancer.'

"We're not about let you do something so dangerous by yourselves." Pyrrha added. "So, whether or you like it or not-"

"We're coming along for the ride!" Nora finished, pumping a fist in the air. "No buts!"

"But-!"

Nora cut Ruby off. "I said no buts!"

Ren sighed. "You may as well give it up, Ruby." he told her. "Nora can be quite forceful. And apparently, leader is just as bad."

"I still think this is a bad idea." Church grumbled. "Why does nobody realize the fact that we're pretty much walking to our deaths here?!"

'What are you complaining about?' Maine gave him a small stare. 'You're an AI. You can't die, nimrod.'

"Ghost. And doesn't mean I can't not feel pain asshole."

'How is that even possible? You don't even have a body.'

"Tell that to your Sigma pal when he beat the shit out of me in your head!"

"So then!" Pyrrha clapped her hands. "We're helping you guys, and that is that!"

Ruby and the rest of RWBY was stunned. How in the world did they even know what they were planning? More importantly, they were willing to help them out? Seriously? They initially planned to do this themselves without telling anyone. Now they were receiving backup? From JNPR? Weiss certainly saw the merits. Chances of success would be greater if they had someone like Maine around, but even then...there was a lot to consider.

"Yeah, no use pondering this kids." Church spoke. "We're coming, and that's that."

Despite hating the situation, Church found it useless to argue any further. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to get dragged along for the ride.

Eventually, Blake sighed. "...I guess there is no point in arguing." she said before turning to Weiss. "Okay, Weiss. What's the plan?"

"Right." the heiress snapped out of it. "To put it simply, me and Ruby will head to the CCT tower. Once we're there, I'll check the SDC for any Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Since I'm family, that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"The White Fang has regular initiation meetings to recruit new members." Blake continued on. "So long as no one there can recognize me, I should be able to learn something."

"I've got a friend in a shady part of town." Yang finished up. "Nothing happens in Vale without him knowing about it."

Ren nodded, folding his arms. "Alright, then." he said in understanding. "In that case, Pyrrha and I can go with Weiss and Ruby. Nora can go with Yang." He paused briefly and gave his childhood friend a small glare. "And please, Nora. Don't cause any trouble." The resident hyperactive girl of the group grinned innocently, putting her hands behind her head. He sighed and shook his head. "And Maine can go with Blake. So long as he keeps his hood up, no one should notice anything. Plus, his scar should be a good cover."

"They'll think a human did it to him." Blake surmised with a small smile. "Sounds real enough."

Ruby smiled widely. "Alright, we have a plan!" she cheered. "We'll meet up again later tonight near Yang and go over what we found out. Let's do this!"

A chorus of cheers came from everyone. Church groaned and flatly raised up a fist. A familiar voice also joined in. "Yeah!" Their heads turned to find none other than Sun Wukong outside the window, hanging upside down by his tale with a grin on his face. "What up, dudes and dudettes?"

Blake gawked. "S-Sun?!"

"How'd you get up here?" Yang asked curiously. They were on the third floor, after all.

The Monkey Faunus waved a hand. "Ah, it's easy! I do it all the time!" he said, ignoring the shocked look from Weiss. He then swung into the room, landing on the windowsill before hopping inside the room. "At least with trees. So, we finally getting payback with that Torchwick guy or something?"

"Well, _we_ are going to gather information about their operations...as a _team_." Blake emphasized the words. "Sorry Sun...we really don't want to get friends involved...well, no more involved than now."

She looked at Church and Maine, both shrugging.

"Pft! That's dumb, you should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune along!" He pointed a thumb out at the window behind him.

All bodies moved to the opening and all heads poked outside, seeing the blue-haired teen standing on the ledge. "Sup?"

"How...how did you even get up here?" Weiss asked.

"I have my ways..." He answered smoothly before his expression became panicked. "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like, REALLY high up right now."

Church shook his head, once again palming his helmet. "Remind me again," he asked. "Why did I sign up for this crap?"

* * *

 _A response from Qrow Branwen_

 _Oz,_

 _Believe me, I'm aware of what kind of crap goes on. Trust me, I'm not surprised or shocked by the slightest by the idiots running this whole thing. Hell, even someone like the old tin man back at Atlas does more good, and half the time he just screws shit up.  
_ _I still don't have a damn lead on whoever attacked Amber. All I know is, whoever did it, they're definitely connected to Salem. If anyone knew how to take a Maiden's power, it'd be her.  
_ _On the subject...I think I have a lead on the Spring Maiden. And before you get excited, it ain't exactly good news.  
_ _If my guess is right...she's with Raven.  
_ _I might be wrong. I'll keep investigating on my end. If I learn anything new, I'll send ya a new report.  
_ _Now, if you excuse me...I have my trusty flask waiting for me._

 _P.S., tell Ironwood to keep that green little shit he calls Delta out of my Scroll! Last time he did it, I damn near shit my pants! I don't care if it makes communication and relaying messages easier!_

 **AN:** Kept you waiting, huh? XD Well, let's just say I've been busy. First I get sick, then I got started on a couple new stories, and apparently one of which you RWBY nuts like, considering its Rose Garden. Look up "Clockwork Spectrum" if you bookbites are interested! It's already pretty popular! Another reason why this chapter is late is because my computer got screwed up. The hard drive kept crashing for some reason and its charging port got fucked up, so its being fixed right now.

Now, a lot of you guys thought that, because of last chapter's ending, the Blood Gulch Crew was coming to Remnant. That was more or less a prelude to them crash landing on Chorus. Sorry to disappoint. As an apology, I will tell you that, once we finish up Volume 3, the RWBY Cast and the Blood Gulch Crew WILL meet! Just not the way you guys might expect...or maybe exactly what you expect. Fuck if I know. I ain't a mind reader.

Also, small little rant after the craziness that was Volume 5's introduction of the White Fang leader, Sienna Khan. God dammit, Adam! Stop killing off potential wives!

Well, that should be it. Hopefully the next update comes a bit sooner, especially since we're practically blasting straight through this!

Later losers, and I'll see you guys later!


	15. Volume 2: Chapter IV

_A letter from the High Chancellor from the Altesian Consul to General James Ironwood  
_

 _Dear General Ironwood,_

 _We respectfully choose to decline your suggestion of fortifying the defensive firewalls within the CCT. Despite your recent military and technological progress within certain aspects, both for civilian life and for our own purposes, we must remind you that we are in times of peace. The idea of someone even attempting an attack on the CCT is not only ludicrous, but preposterous.  
Additionally, some of your more recent actions have left us...concerned. It has recently come to our attention that many of your visits to Vale have not been logged properly, or the reason behind these visits have not been specified as for the purpose. It is an error that _must _be corrected as soon as possible.  
While we have allowed you some liberty, given your value to us holding both a seat as the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs, please do not forget that even a precious resource can eventually run out.  
And also, do remember...  
...that even _our _trust has its limits._

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter IV: Party in Downtown Smashville

"Remind me again..." Church groaned. "Why are we walking into a place that's going to be crawling with terrorists? I mean, sneaking in, I can understand. But we're just walking in!"

"Quiet down!" Blake hissed. "Meetings like this are open to all Faunus. So it's not unusual for those of us to simply walk in. We need to blend with the crowd."

"Well, in case you all forgot one small, minor detail...Vomit Boy's not a Faunus."

Maine growled. 'I've told you not to call me that, Alpha.' he warned.

"Which do you prefer?" Church shot back. "That? Blondie? Or Meta?"

'None of them!'

"Then we stick with Vomit Boy. Besides, it's a hell of a lot more hilarious. And I'd like to remind everyone here that he doesn't have ears or a tail."

Blake shook her head. "So long as he keeps his hood on and shows his scar, we have a good cover story. They'll think the humans did that. If anyone asks, just say you're a Lion."

Church cocked his head. "Why? Not judging, though. Lions are kickass."

"Lions usually take pride in their appearance. Losing their ears or tail is a huge blow to their self-esteem, generally speaking." Sun tried to explain. "And any self-respecting Faunus knows better than to pry about a Lion's missing ears." He paused then laughed. "Who knew being mute could have its advantages?"

"Especially when said mute is a scary asshole." Church added, causing Maine to growl in protest. "Oh, up yours."

Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Enough. Both of you!" she snapped at the AI and human. "Come on. The entrance should be around the corner."

"How could you be so sure?" Church asked.

As they approached the wall, Blake traced three fingers along three scratch marks; the same marks on the White Fang insignia. "I just know."

* * *

"Wow...!" Ruby breathed as she, Weiss, Pyrrha and Ren approached the CCT tower. "So awesome...! This was the one built after Atlas, right?"

"Indeed. With the CCT, long range communication between all four Kingdoms was made possible. It transmits data via airwaves to its intended recipients."

Pyrrha smiled thinly. "Although, it's only flaw is that, if one falls, the entire communication system goes down." she said, bringing up the fatal flaw. "Thankfully, not even the White Fang would be foolish enough to attack a place so heavily guarded. Not to mention the fact that it would make them coordinating much harder."

"Perhaps." Ren agreed. "But you never know. We're looking for information about the Dust robberies, is that right?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. Normally, anyone else would be denied access, but since I'm apart of the company, I should be able to get access to every Dust shipment that was robbed or whilst in transit or while it was in cargo." She paused briefly, then grimaced. "Assuming my father is preoccupied."

"You don't sound very fond of him." Ruby noted.

Gingerly, Weiss touched the scar on her eye, a pained look in her eye. "Let's just say...he contributed to this." she said, gesturing to the scar. Thankfully, no one said anything. "Anyway, let's-"

"Aah! Friend Ruby!" Before anyone noticed, a blur dashed by and picked Ruby up, squeezing the life out of her. "It is so good to see you again!" Penny Polendina cheered, unknowingly suffocating the poor, hooded girl.

"P-Penny! S-So nice to see...you again..." Ruby gasped, her face soon turning blue from lack of oxygen. "Um...can't...breath...!"

Thankfully for the little reaper, the girl released her hold, allowing her to regain oxygen as she was set back down to the ground. "I never thought I would run into you after I came back!" Penny grinned. "This is great!"

"Y-yeah! It really is." Ruby smiled, rubbing her back. Who would have thought Penny had such strength? Then again, she did bring down an entire Bulkhead by herself. "So, what brings you back here? The Vytal Festival?"

"Actually, I am here with General Ironwood. The students from Atlas Academy will be arriving next week."

Weiss blinked. "The General of the Atlesian Military is here?" she asked in surprise. Then she realized how close the Vytal Festival was. No doubt other Headmasters would arrive ahead of time as well. "Hm, that would explain the increase of soldiers I've seen around."

"Indeed!" Penny nodded before she took notice of Pyrrha and Ren. "Oh. Who might you two be?"

Ruby giggled. "Oh, right! You've never met them." she said, smiling as she introduced her two friends. "These guys are Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos, members of Team JNPR!"

"Salutations! I am Penny Polendina!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Pyrrha smiled.

"Indeed." Ren nodded politely.

Penny grinned and bowed back. "So, what brings you all to the CTT Tower?" The group of four looked at one another, unsure how to answer. They couldn't just explain to the girl that they were trying to extract corporate secrets to uncover a criminal organization's activity in Vale. Of course, before any could offer any sort of excuse, Penny changed the topic when she seemed to remember something. "Oh, right! Before I forget, I want to introduce you all to someone!" she said, clapping her hands. "I've been trying to get him to open up, and it's been slowly progressing. He's still very shy."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "Who is it?"

Her answer came in the form of a mix of purple-and-pink holographics, forming into a miniature soldier.

Hiding behind Penny's head.

"Oh, come now, Theta." Penna gently admonished him. "Say hello."

"B-but...they're girls." the small AI stammered nervously. "I-I don't know how to deal with girls other than South!"

"It's okay. I'm a girl too. Just pretend that you're talking to me when you're talking to them, and you should be fine." She advised him.

"I-I don't know..."

"Please Theta?"

The AI moaned, vastly uncomfortable. Weiss and Ruby looked at one another before looking back at Penny. "Um, Penny? Is-is that...North's AI?"

"Why, yes!" she nodded with a smile. "Everyone, this is Theta. Former Freelancer AI Fragment. Theta, these are my friends!"

"..lo." Theta waved at them shyly.

"H-hello. It's nice to meet you." Pyrrha bowed cordially.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Theta." Ren followed suit.

Weiss bowed her head, still a bit surprised. After seeing Delta, though, she really shouldn't be.

Ruby, however...

"He." she gasped. "Looks. So. AWSOME...!"

"Huh?" Theta took a nervous step back. "Ah, um..."

"He's so much different from Delta." Ruby whispered in awe as she tried to get a better look at Theta, only for the AI Fragment to maneuver around Penny in hopes to evade her. "Are they all color coordinated? Oh, and what does he do?" She paused briefly before frowning. "He's not foul-mouthed like Church, right? Or as cranky?"

"Oh no." Penny shook her head. "He is actually very sweet and shy."

"Oh...he's just so adorable..."

If it was possible, Theta's helmet seemed to burn, burying himself into Penny's body as if to hide his embarrassment. Pyrrha personally found it to be quite adorable while Ren likened it to a child hiding behind a mother. Weiss smiled a bit, thinking of how she used to be when she was much younger, before she remembered their purpose for being here and shook her head, clearing out distracting thoughts.

"Well, why don't you help Penny with Theta?" she suggested. "In the meantime, I'll make my call at the CTT."

"H-huh?" Ruby blinked, snapping away from theta. "Why? Shouldn't we be together?"

"Ruby." Weiss gave her a flat stare. "Be honest. The only real reason you came with was to take pictures."

"Y-you can't prove that!"

"Then why do you have your Scroll out?" There was no answer. She grinned. "And there you have it."

Without waiting, she turned on her heel and entered the tower, thus leaving Ruby, Pyrrha and Ren with Penny and Theta.

"So...what now?" Ren asked, now that they were left behind.

"...maybe take a look around the area?" Pyrrha offered.

Penny nodded strongly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" she said rather giddily. "This way, I can show Theta and Omega Vale!"

"Omega?" Ruby tilted her head. "You mean the angry AI Church mentioned?"

"Yes. He's still a work in progress."

* * *

 _ **"LET! ME! OUT! OF! THIS! DISGUSTING! PLACE!"**_

* * *

A few drivers who happened to pass by Yang as she drove on her beloved motorcycle Bumblebee, Neptune holding on tightly as he could behind her, looked at the site strangely. Now, the image of a girl and her boyfriend on a motorcycle wasn't unusual. Sure, it was kind of illegal, but sometimes you could get away with it.

However, the sight of a girl and her boyfriend on a motorcycle with a girl on rollerskates riding behind her, courtesy of a rope tied to the back of the bike, was most definitely bizarre.

"You okay back there, Nora?!" Yang shouted over her shoulder.

Her answer came in the form of squeals, drifting back and forth while striking various poses as a few brave drivers had slowed down to take pictures of the unusual sight.

"I think she's fine!" Neptune hollered over the rushing air, noting the girls enjoyment. He nearly lost his grip and struggled to remain on the bike. Why couldn't he have just gone with Sun instead?! At least then he wouldn't have to worry about Yang's crazy driving!

 _'Then again, I would be walking into a room full of terrorists.'_ he reminded himself. _'Between that and walking into a club of goons...'_ Neptune whined almost pitifully, realizing that he was practically screwed no matter what he did. Thankfully, however, it seemed that they had reached their destination as Yang pulled up to a curb with a jerk, nearly throwing him off. Nora flew through the air before landing, spinning around in place like a ballerina.

"We're here." Yang announced as she removed her helmet, taking in the smell of the place. "Just as dirty and danky as I remember it."

"Cool..." Neptune said before he fixed his hair and goggles. "And where exactly is here?"

One of the guards standing by the door turned to their direction. He grew panicked as he alerted his partner. Both flung the door open and scrambled inside, likely barricading it.

Neptune quirked an eyebrow at this whereas Yang grinned, strutting her hips while cracking her knuckles. Nora then followed after her, grinning all the while. For a while, the suave blue-haired teen wondered if she never stopped smiling before following after them.

"So, what do we do?" he asked. "Just ask the guy in charge whats what?"

"Hm. Something like that." Yang responded.

Ember Celica wrapped around her wrists, forming into the familiar yellow gauntlets before she cocked a fist back and threw a punch. Neptune's jaw dropped, however, when said punch threw the door off of its hinges, smashing and flying into what looked like a dance floor, causing everyone in the viscinity to scatter. Men in black suits with red sunglasses looked at the doors, and then to Yang who casually approached with a grin.

"Hello boys!" she greeted. "Miss me?"

In response, every last goon in the club brandished a gun and aimed it straight at her. Yang's smile faded as she glared at the mob and clenched her fists, ready for a fight.

But that hope was dashed by the owner.

"Stop! Stop! Nobody shoot!" The crowd parted to reveal a middle aged man with short black hair, a dark beard, and dressed in a bartender's outfit. He looked at the blonde with a mix of exasperation and reluctance. "Blondie. You're here. _Why_?"

"You, still owe me a drink." she said simply as she passed through the crowd, grabbing Junior by the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards the bar. Neptune whistled, greatly impressed and perhaps a little aroused. "What a woman..." he moaned before he looked to the side, noticing the absence of their third member. "Wait, where's-?"

"My dress is NOT made out of newspapers!"

"Then why are their pictures and words printed on it? And in the same way a newspaper's written?!"

He looked over and found Nora with two girls: twins with black hair and green eyes, wearing a white dress and a red dress respectively. Both were definite hotties in his opinion, though the sharp wedges of their heels made him quite a bit nervous. Women with shoes like that tend to do that to him. That, and one of them had claws fastened to her wrists as well. One of the twins looked amused by Nora's innocent inquery, whereas the other was close to blowing a fuse.

Neptune was tempted to try his luck, but then remembered what they were here for. Information. He sighed, shaking and cursing his luck before calling out to Nora. "Yo. Hammer girl. Come on. Yang's waiting for us."

"Coming!" Nora called before turning back to Militia Malachite with narrowed eyes. "And for the record, that is so newspaper clippings!"

The red-clad twin scowled. "It is not!"

* * *

"...hold it."

The three tensed as the White Fang guard stood between them and the door. Underneath the mask, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Mostly at Maine, who glared back at him. "You. Take off the hood."

"He can't." Sun said hastily. "It's kind of...personal for him."

"Why?"

"His ears were cut off by the humans." Blake said, trying not to sound desperate but neither to confidant whilst doing her best impression of sorrow. Not that it was hard. During her time with the Fang, espionage missions often required acting. Something she was incredible at. "Same with his vocal cords."

The Guard tilted his head, looking at Maine. The blonde raised his head enough for the man to see the scar along his neck before giving a low growl, his best intimidating impression.

"Whoa...damn humans..." The guard cursed before looking apologetic. "Sorry about that. Didn't know. You guys can go ahead."

"It's fine." Blake waved a hand.

The guard stepped aside, handing them silver half-masks that were standard among White Fang soldiers. Soon, the three entered the entryway, where several Faunus, all wearing the Fang masks, were flooding into a door. Near that door was another White Fang guard. "New recruits, stay to the left side!" he shouted, trying to keep order in the chaotic flood.

Sun frowned heavily, looking at the mask. "I don't get it. If you're fighting for what you think is right, why hide who you are?"

"The masks are a symbol." Blake answered. "Humanity views us as monsters, so we give them what we want."

"Yeah, but Grimm masks?" Sun asked as he put his on. "That's...kinda dark."

"So was the one who started it."

Maine rolled his eyes as he slipped on his mask. [Sunshine and rainbows, that girl.] Church said in his head. Since he couldn't properly show himself, he talked with Maine via the comm link established by the collar and his implants. [Here's my thing, though. Blake said that the White Fang used to be good people, right? And it all changed when the founder stepped down. Why? If you ask me, letting somebody else take his job and then turn the protest group into a bunch of murdering psychopaths seems kind of counter productive.]

'The previous leader probably had his reasons.' He answered. 'One possibility was that he was pressured by the current leader and their followers to make him step down. They were most likely tired of the peaceful route yielding no results, and decided a new change of leadership was in order.'

[Makes sense, I guess. But still, with how violent these furries are, you'd think he'd be vocally opposing them or something.]

Maine paused, frowning. The Alpha made a good point. Why wasn't the old leader doing anything to try and pull the reigns? Even if they were a former leader, they should at least have some sway in the Fang still. Yet, from what he understood, he hasn't made any arguments or attempts to convince the current regime to stop.

'...worrying about shit like this isn't our priority right now.' Maine reminded. 'What matters is figuring out what the Fang is up to here in Vale. Speaking of which...'

They passed by the guard, giving him a respectful nod before entering the large open room, littered with hundreds of Faunus civilians and soldiers. At the far end was a tarp hanging like a banner, bearing the White Fang insignia.

'...how many soldiers do you count?'

[A shit ton.] Church answered bluntly. [If you guys are thinking about fighting your way out, you probably should have brought your Brute Shot.]

Grunting, Maine looked around. By his count, there were thirty or so. Not a very big number, but with so many civilians, it would be a pain to push through in the event they needed to escape. Blake herself seemed anxious, looking around nervously. Noticing this, Sun touched her shoulder in concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she said with hesitance. "Just...keeping an eye out for a certain someone." Her voice turned lower, barely above a whisper. "Someone I'd rather not run into so soon."

Maine glanced at her in confusion. Someone she didn't want to run into? [Probably that Torchwick guy.] Church answered. [Catgirl did say he was with the Fang back at the docks.].

'Maybe...'

Soon, the murmurs in the crowd ceased as a White Fang member walked up to the front. Unlike the others, his mask covered his entire face and had red markings, which only added to the intimidation factor. "Thank you all for coming." the man spoke, his voice low yet booming. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!"

Then, out from the curtain, a man walked unto the stage. One that was most certainly not a Faunus.

He bore slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather, and black eyeliner. He was dressed in a red-lined white suit and a small gray scarf, complete with black gloves with rounded sleeves, as well as long black pants and black shoes. In his hand was a black cane with red highlights. In the other hand was a cigar, which was lit and was in the process of being put in his mouth.

Already, Maine had a good idea who he was. Confirmed by Blake suddenly becoming more tense, and Sun's hand slowly inching for his weapon, held safely in the leather pouch strapped to his thigh.

Roman Torchwick.

Naturally, his presence created a stir amongst the Faunus in the room. Shouts, jeers and boos roamed through the entire area, though the mobster didn't look the least bit intimidated. Instead, he smiled back mockingly. "Thank you, thank you!" he said. Maine noticed a woman coming out from behind the tarp, narrowing his eyes. He couldn't quite see her from this distance, but something about her set off alarms. "Please, hold the applause!"

"What's a human doing here?!" one Faunus, a deer judging by the antlers atop her head, shouted and pointing a finger at him. Many were with agreement, looking ready to strike at him.

"Glad you asked, "Deerie!"" Roman retorted with a grin. "Now, let me get one thing straight with you all. Something I'm sure you'll all agree with me here. Humans...are the absolute WORST." Many shouted in agreement. The man simply gave a salute. "Case in point, yours truly. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed!"

The crowd grew silent. Roman grinned. Good. he had their attention. Maine frowned. This guy was making the crowd fall into his pace.

"But, before claws come out..."

"Is he going somewhere with this or...?" Sun whispered to Blake as Roman resumed speaking.

"...would like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that run our kingdoms. Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life!" The crowd looked at one another. Slowly, the murmurs of disagreement faded away and turned into hushed whispers of agreement. "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offense to any rodents in the room."

Roman raised a hand and snapped his fingers. On cue, the unknown female tore the tarp down. What came down was something that made Maine snarl and Blake and Sun lose all color.

"That's..." the Monkey Faunus gulped. "A really big robot."

"How did he get that?" Blake wondered in alarm.

[I bet ya he probably stole the damn thing.] Church stated.

'Yeah, no shit.'

"As some of you may have heard this right here..." Roman gestured to the Atlesian Paladin. "Is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you."

He stopped his pacing, holding his cane in both hands. He craned his head to the crowd and smirked. Maine knew that, by now, he had everyone in the room by the palm of his hand.

"Any questions?"

The entire crowd exploded into applause and cheers.

"We should get out of here." Blake said. "If we stay any longer..."

"Will all new recruits, please step forward!"

Before they could move back, the Crowd moved past them in the opposite direction.

[Well, so much for that plan.] Church commented blandly.

"What do we do now?" Sun asked.

* * *

"Like I keep telling you..." Junior downed the last of his drink, much to his disappointment. One of the many unlucky aspects of booze: it runs out too damn fast. "I don't know!"

Nora leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "And how do we know your telling the truth?"

"Back off, brat." the bartender growled. "Or I bash in your face!"

"You back off, Junior." Yang glared, practically daring him to touch her friend. "And how can you not know? He came to you for help, Junior!"

"I haven't seen hide nor hare of him since the last time you came in here, Xiao Long." Junior scoffed. "He paid me. Up front. Ten guys. And do you want to know something?" He leaned in, narrowing his eyes. "They never. Came. Back."

Neptune gulped. "And...what does that mean?"

"The hell do you _think_ it means, Don Juan?!" the bartender hissed. "Who the hell are you anyway?!" He flinched when Yang pounded a fist on the table, lilac eyes turning crimson. A sure fire sign that he was treading on thin ice. Reigning in his temper, and trying to lessen this damned headache, he groaned and palmed his face. "Look. Roman hasn't come here since the last time he wanted my boys. My best guess? He wasn't satisfied with their work. Not that I _blame him_!"

That last bit was directed to the mooks currently walking about. Upon hearing him, they flinched and avoided his gaze, returning to business.

Junior sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That is all I know, blondie. Bottom line: Torchwick hasn't come here since then. Just cause I'm an info broker don't mean I know everything that happens in this stink hole.'

Yang narrowed her eyes. She wasn't satisfied with Junior's answer, but his irritation and annoyance were clear signs that he was telling the truth. Not satisfying, but there wasn't anything she could do. She gave a sigh and turned away from the bar. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."

"We got everything we need?" Neptune asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they left the club. "I don't think we got much of anything."

"Yeah." Nora mumbled. "Talk about grumpy."

The blonde brawler shrugged. "To be fair, I did wreck this place once." she admitted. "I just hope the guys have better luck than we do right now."

* * *

"So many people..." Theta stammered, trying his best to stay out of sight from the many passerbyers in the crowd. "Are all cities on Remnant like this?"

"Mistral's main city's worse." Ren chuckled at the AI's shyness. "Though, of course, that also depends on what level of the city you're living in."

Pyrrha nodded, knowing full well what Ren was referring to. Having hailed from Mistral herself, many of the city levels were heavily occupied. Mainly the middle levels, given that they were centered mostly around trading and whatnot. "So, Penny." she said, walking side by side with her. "How are you enjoying your time in Vale? From what Ruby told us, you had to cut your sight-seeing short because of what happened at the docks. Isn't that right?"

Penny nodded. "Yes. To be fair, though, Father hadn't intended on me exploring the city until the Vytal Festival was much closer." The strange girl giggled. "Then General Ironwood and he talked it over. Though, the only reason why I'm allowed to explore Vale is to try and help Theta get accustomed to his new surroundings."

"Well, I'm glad you're doing it. It's good to get this little guy comfortable as much as he can." Ruby cooed as she tickled the AI's chin.

Theta's helmet glowed as he flickered, moving around Penny to avoid Ruby. Penny couldn't help but giggle. It was very adorable seeing how they interacted, but she was also glad that Theta was slowly starting to become used to their presence, despite having just met them. It was a vast improvement since Penny first met the timid AI. Before, he refused to open up to her. Now, he was slowly getting accustomed to other people.

Now, if only such improvement could be done about Omega. She had opened a visual link for the AI to view. She hoped that, by mingling with her new friends that she would be able to help him open up. Or at least lose that aggression of his.

Sadly, the results were...not as she hoped.

 **[What a backwater city! These military soldiers are nothing compared to my evil genius! Conquering it will be so easy! They'll all taste OBLIVION!]**

The android sighed. Even now, in such a therapeutic environment, Omega was still scheming of world domination. She could not understand what she was doing wrong.

"Something wrong, Penny?"

"Oh no, nothing." she assured her friend. "Just...a troublesome patient."

Ruby blinked. "You're a doctor?"

"Of sorts!" Penny chirped. "I'm trying to help Omega, but he's quite the hassle." She gave a sigh, shaking her head. "I wonder what I'm doing wrong?"

Theta tilted his head. "You...have Omega?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I don't see him with you."

"He's in an isolated black box room in the [Sub-Home]. Until I can make sure he isn't likely to hop into someone like Agent Maine, he's in quarantine. The General has been asking me to look into restoring Iota and Eta, though."

Pyrrha tilted her head. "Iota and Eta?"

"They're twins!" Theta chimed. "Iota always happy-go-lucky. Eta's a big scaredy-cat."

"Is that right?" Ruby smiled. "So, who they partnered with?" Theta turned quiet. The sudden silenced notified Ruby she might've stepped on landmine. "O-oh. I u-uh, I didn't mean...if you don't want to talk about it..."

"...they..." he slowly spoke in a quiet tone quiet. "They were given to Carolina. But, then the Meta..."

"We know what happened." Ren told the AI, much to his surprise. "One of our friends. He was...a former Freelancer Agent. A few months ago, he went missing. Then, about two weeks or so ago, he came back." The Mistralian's face softened greatly, taking a breath. It was still very hard to remember battling his friend and leader, especially in the state he was in. Yes, he had gotten better, but it was still hard to think about. "He came back changed. The only reason he got better was because of Church."

Theta tilted his head. "Church?" he asked. Strangely, he felt as if he heard the name before. However, he wasn't sure where. "Who's he?"

"Oh, he's just some grumpy AI that likes to call himself a ghost." Ruby told him with a pout. "He's so mean too! And he swears too much!"

The AI of Trust looked at them while deep in thought. Those qualities, they seemed so...familiar. Then it finally hit him. "...Do you mean...Alpha?"

"The who?"

"Alpha was the designation Mr. Church was originally given by Project Freelancer shortly after his creation." Penny explained. "At least, from what Delta told me."

"And Delta said that he and the other Fragments were originally apart of Church." Pyrrha recalled. "I guess it makes sense."

"Is the Alpha here?" Theta asked. For a moment, the group thought he sounded very eager. "O-on this Planet, I mean?"

"I believe so. He should be with Agent Ma-"

Immediately, Ruby clamped a hand over Penny's mouth. Theta tilted his head as he looked at Ruby strangely. "She means he's with Jaune!" she said quickly. "Our old friend we mentioned! The former Freelancer!"

"Oh...so then they're partners?" Theta asked curiously.

"Well, it was a recent development." Ren admitted. "Theyre still trying to get used to one another."

"Oh..."

Pyrrha leaned in next to Ren, frowning. "Why did she stop Penny?" she asked. "Jaune and Maine are the same person. He'll find out eventually."

"If you remember, Theta was taken along with other AIs. Regardless of whether or not Jaune was sane at the time, Theta will probably still see him as The Meta. And not to mention that it was the Meta that killed Agent North Dakota, Theta's partner."

It was reasonable to think that the childish AI would still likely hold some form of resentment against Jaune. Perhaps even anger over what happened. Regardless, it would be a very bad idea if the two were to ever meet. It would be best to keep this information under wraps for now, regardless of the fact that Sigma was the primary culprit behind Jaune's drastic change.

Of course, both members of JNPR knew that it would be futile. Sooner or later, the two would meet. And then they did, well...they didn't really want to think on it too much.

Just then, Ruby's Scroll began to ring. Removing her hand from a very confused Penny's mouth, she opened it. "Guys? What's wrong?"

 _"HEEEEEEELP!" Sun's voice cried. "WE NEED BACK UP! LIKE RIGHT NOW!"_

The group looked at each other, concerned. Had they been found out?! "What's happening, Sun?" Pyrrha asked. "Were you found out?!"

 _[That Torchwick asshole's chasing us around with a damned mech!]_ Church growled. Theta leaned in, noting how familiar the voice sounded. Was that the Alpha? _[He's chasing us around, and if you assholes don't hurry the fuck up, we're GOING TO DIE!]_

As it just so happened, the group was actually catching notice of this mech. Three figures, two Faunus and one hooded male, ran as fast as humanely possible from the other end of the street, soon vanishing from view. Of course, seconds later, a giant metal machine came into view, stomping after them.

"...well." Ren said simply. "That's convenient."

Penny's eyes widened once the mech passed from view, jaw falling in disbelief. "That's the Atlesian Paladin!" she cried in shock. "But those haven't been primed and ready for deployment yet! Why is one chasing after those three?!"

"The White Fang probably stole it somehow." Pyrrha deduced.

"White Fang? Are they after you?" Penny questioned.

"It's a long story! We gotta go help!"

* * *

[Oh shit, flying car!]

Maine growled as he jumped over to the next vehicle, avoiding certain death as the car struck the one he was on previously. Metal crumpled and twisted upon collision, tossing about and tumbling through the highways before slamming into one of the walls.

[Ouch! I feel sorry for the poor sap driving that thing!]

'No shit. We're putting people in danger like this!'

[Hey, we gotta survive somehow!]

Maine grimaced. He didn't like that answer, but when he remembered his time in Project Freelancer, he knew that such things were unavoidable. Casualties were always going to be guaranteed, no matter how thought-out the situation. While this was far from thought-out, it still had the idea of casualties.

He also hated not having his weapon. He should have brought the Brute Shot MK-II with him, but he instead chose to leave it with Pyrrha. What the hell was he thinking?

For now, all they had to do was avoid Roman and the Paladin long enough for backup to arrive. Then he could tear this bastard apart!

He jumped onto another car as the Paladin got too close to his liking. Its feet skidded as it tried to take a swing at him. He promptly ducked, barely missing him by a hair before he jumped over to another car, which ended up being smashed to pieces beneath the weight.

Unknown to anyone, though, Yang, Neptune and Nora were right behind them.

"Okay!" Nora shouted. "That's a really big, really mean machine!"

Yang scowled as she was forced to swerve to the left, avoiding being hit by a car. Nora had taken to the opposite direction as she slid on her skates, though she soon trailed back behind the blonde brawler.

"We've got to slow it down!"

Neptune nodded. "Got it!" he shouted as he took out the weapon strapped to his back. Yang, however, was forced to evade again by hanging to the right, avoiding another destroyed car. This time, Nora was hanging on to the back of Bumblebee. Once they were in the clear, Neptune stood up and raised his weapon: a cross between a machine gun and a rifle. Nora, while steadying herself with one hand, also brought out Magnhild in grenade launcher form.

The two then proceeded to open fire. Inside the Paladin, Roman found himself nearly falling out of the pilot seat, feeling the impacts of both weapons. Growling in anger, he looked at one of the holographic monitors and found the three kids. "Okay, you brats. If that's how you want to play...!"

Without turning around, the Paladin's shoulders suddenly opened up, revealing two large mounted guns, which created red lined sights, aimed directly at Bumblee.

Yang blinked. "Uh-oh."

Then the Paladin opened fired, releasing four rockets. All of which aimed for the three.

"Hang on!" Yang warned as she made a series of sharp turns and swerved to avoid being bombarded by the missiles. Neptune nearly fell off of the motorcycle due to the abrupt motions. Fortunately, he was able to hang on.

Soon, they made it out of the bombardment.

[Back ups here!] Church told him. [I'm picking up Red on the way too.] The self-proclaimed ghost formed over his shoulder, looking on nervously. "Jesus Christ that thing is armed. Hey, Vomit Boy. You sure you can take that thing out?"

'If I had my weapon, maybe.' Maine replied.

From behind, Neptune slowly got up to is feet. His weapon also shifted forms, parts mixing around while extending into a long spear with a glowing-blue blade at the top. "Get me in close!" he asked. Yang nodded and sped up, Nora continuing to bombard Roman in an attempt to distract him. Once they were close enough, Neptune jumped up, raising his spear high. The parts mixed about again, the blades separating into three and forming into a trident. "Heads up!"

He swung his weapon down and stabbed the giant mech right in the shoulder joint. It was wedged in between the plates, preventing it from moving. Upon pressing a button, Neptune's weapon released arcs of electricity that zapped the Paladin. The result was gratifying: the Paladin's arm began to whir out of control, swinging and wishing about haphazardly. In its craze, it struck a car at its side, destroying the driver side and sending it flying at Maine. With no cars nearby, he knew that he was going to be hurting once it hit. Thankfully, Blake hadn't forgotten about him as Gambol Shroud wrapped around his wrist and pulled him away, letting the two cars meet and smash together into a heap. Maine found himself thrown atop the roof of a truck, much to his relief. He pulled himself up and found Sun looking on in worry as Neptune struggled to hold himself up.

"Hold on, partner!" the Monkey cried. "I'mma coming!" He clapped his hands together and shut his eyes. A golden glow began to dance around him, spreading out and forming into outlines of himself.

The glowing copies rushed in, hopping onto the roofs of the cars until they landed on the Paladin. They proceeded to strike the cockpit to try and slow down the machine. They exploded into golden bursts upon impact. The machine staggered in its approach, allowing Sun the opportunity to move. He bounced off the truck and unto the car behind it, proceeding to leap into the air and brandish his staff. Roman growled and tried to get Neptune off, but Nora fired a few rounds on his back, causing him to fumble a bit.

 _'These brats don't know when to quit!'_

Sun landed atop the Paladin and then proceeded to hop over to the other arm. He looked over at Neptune. Together, the two nodded and raised their weapons overhead and slammed them straight down on the joints of the machines. Neptune's second strike caused the right arm to cease movement altogether, stuck in place while Sun's strike, followed by a gun shot, courtesy of the firearm installed into the staff, caused the left arm to slouch and slant a bit.

"Take off his arms!" Church shouted. "We don't fancy getting turned into pancakes here!"

"We're trying, man!" Sun shouted back. "Don't rush!"

Roman scowled. "Annoying little shits." he said. It was one thing for the cat girl and the monkey kid to mess up his glorious moment with the White Fang recruitment, but now they were trying to smash the merchandise. Didn't they know what he had to do to get his hands on this? "Okay then..." he said slowly, inputting a few commands. "If that's how you wanna play...!"

The Paladin whirred up before it spun its torso around. The sudden movement caused the two to lose their footing before flying off the machine. "Aaaaaaaand there they go." Church deadpanned, watching them hit the ground and left behind quickly, soon vanishing from view within seconds. "At least both arms are-"

Suddenly, more mounted weapons emerged from the Paladin's body: this time one on each side of the hip, followed by one over the chest unit and another directly below it.

"Oh, motherfu-"

He was cut off a a series of multiple projectiles flew from the Paladins body and soared toward their direction. Blake cursed as she and Maine immediately made a run for it. As they advanced along the highway, missiles impacted the ground just behind them. Soon, the rockets struck the truck. The force behind those explosions began to shake the truck to the point where its longer, larger half began to swerve. Maine leaped over the edge, landing atop a car while Blake was forced to use Gambol Shroud to latch on to the car ahead of her. Her body flopped, stomach hitting the ground as she was being dragged.

Were it not for her Aura, this would be a major case of road burn right about now. Especially at this speed.

 _[Blake! I'm in position!]_

Blake's eyes widened. Then a smile touched her face before she began to pull herself up the black fabric that connected Gambol Shroud to her. She landed on the roof with her weapon in hand. She turned to see Jaune on the car parallel to her.

"Where the fuck is our backup?!" Church shouted. "I swear, if Red chose now of all times to take a dump!"

Unknown to Church, however, backup had already arrived. Up ahead, Weiss stood in the middle of the highway, heedless to the many cars rushing past her. Up ahead, she saw Roman approaching and Maine and Blake on two cars opposite to each other. The cars whizzed by and Roman was charging straight at her. The mobster smirked inside his war machine, ready to smash her to bits.

Weiss, on the other hand, had other ideas.

With a spin, she rammed Myrtenaster into the road. A series of glyphs formed and created a sleek path of ice. Roman couldn't notice it in time before the Paladin walked straight into it and slipped, causing its giant metal body to tumble and fall. It went straight over her and fell right over the edge of the highway, descending and crashing straight down into ground level.

"Ow..." Roman groaned, holding his head after it had slammed into the console. "That hurt..." He quickly checked to see if there was any damage besides the right arm being disconnected from the rest of the damn thing and then checked his monitors. There was a group of teens straight ahead of him.

Among them were a few familiar faces.

"Well, ain't this a party."

* * *

"About damn time!" Church snapped once Maine joined up with his Team and Ruby's. "Where the hell were you?!" He stopped when he noticed a familiar derpy face among them. "Wait a second. PENNY?! The fuck are you doing here?!"

"Salutations, Mr. Church!" Penny cheerfully waved. "To answer your question, I was with Ruby and her friends the moment you called for help. So I came along to assist. I also wanted to learn more about what is happening. I also wanted to show Theta around Vale! Until this happened."

"Theta? Who?"

On cue, a purple-and-pink holographic miniature soldier, much like himself, appeared over Penny's shoulder.

"H-hello?" The tiny AI shyly waved.

"...wait...why do you have an AI with you?!"

"She just said she was showing him Vale." Weiss sighed. "More importantly, need I remind everyone that a stolen Atlesian Paladion-250 is RIGHT IN FRONT OF US?!"

At this, everyone's attention turned to the giant mech, which got back up on its feet, mounted weapons all aimed and primed to eliminate them. Pyrrha stared at the machine for a moment before handing Maine the case containing his weapon. "You...might need this." Jaune grunted in appreciation. He pressed the button and the grenade launcher transformed into its battle axe form. Giving it a twirl, he hefted it up to his shoulder. He proceeded to crack his neck, giving Roman the stink eye before grinning and flicking his hand.

Church, for the first time, gave an accurate translation.

"Come get some, asshole."

[Red vs Blue OST: Terminate]

Irked by the blatant taunt, Roman was all too happy to oblige. He activated the machine's weapon system once more, preparing for another salvo of missiles.

Ruby grinned. " _Freezer Burn_!"

Yang and Weiss dashed forward. The latter spun her rapier before stabbing the ground, creating a sheet of ice on the ground. The former leaped up and slammed her fist on the ice, creating a burst of fire that instantly vaporized the frozen sheet and formed a heavy mist. Roman scowled, seeing how the sensors, while still able to pick up the brats, were all confused. Carefully, he moved forward, keeping an eye out for any movement. Every few seconds, motion was detected and the laser sights tracked them, but soon vanished. "Where are you...?" he muttered. Two figures dashed out in the mist. Not wanting to lose the chance, he fired off a few rockets. The explosions rocked the ground. Initially, he smirked, thinking he got two of the many brats out of the way.

Then a bunch of swords came out and stabbed into the Paladin. Seconds later, its feet were removed from the ground and ripped upward.

"What the shit?!" Roman cursed as the Paladin flew backward and crashed to the ground.

"BAAAAAAATTER UP!" Church bellowed once Roman came into view, holding the BS MK-II like a bat. And he damn sure used it like one. With a push of a button on the shaft in mid-swing, the tubes on the weapon burned and breathed out fire, increasing the power of his swing. The strike landed right in the center of the mech. Metal crumpled, but sadly remained intact. The power behind the swing, on top of Maine's already impressive physical strength, sent the Paladin flying through the air. "And he's outta here!"

The Paladin bounced atop the concrete before flipping itself up. The sparks dancing around its right arm ceased. Roman blinked, looking at the many screens. The blow had actually served to knock the connection with the right arm back into place. Grinning, he rotated the arm before taking notice of the kids coming up from behind. Immediately, the turrets aimed behind it and opened fire.

Ruby and Blake, however, were quick on their feet, as well as quick with their guns.

"Ladybug!" Ruby announced their next combination tactic.

The Paladin continued to shoot at them, switching missiles for bullets. Ruby's Speed Semblance, however, was enough to keep her away from the steady stream of bullets. Blake, meanwhile, was moving fast, her shadow copies being struck in her place. Once they were close enough, she switched Gambol Shroud into gun mode and wrapped her cloth around it, tossing it to Ruby. As she was directly underneath it, Roman saw an ample opportunity to turn her into paste, raising the Paladin's leg and bringing it down.

Maine and Pyrrha, however, weren't about to let that happen.

The Invincible Girl rushed in, using her shield to keep Ruby from being flattened. Her feet steady and her Aura strengthening her muscles, the Paladin's foot was locked in place. Taking in the opportunity, Maine placed himself right underneath it and switched the BS MK-II into gun form, loading in the Dust. Taking aim, he let loose two rounds, which exploded right into the Paladin's body. Roman jostled, nearly falling out of his seat.

With their target distracted, Ruby then tosed Gambol Shroud into an arc, having it loop around the Paladin's arm. Using Crescent Rose, she bounced into the air and grabbed it before using the recoil again to dash behind it, capturing the Paladin's left arm. Quickly wrapping Gambol Shroud around the shaft of her spear, she proceeded to stab it into the ground.

"We're good to go!"

Maine grinned as he looked over at Penny and Nora. "Ladies, if you would!" Church called out. "Give this asshole a good asskicking!"

"You got it!" Nora saluted as she dashed in with her hammer.

"Of course!" Penny nodded as she followed suit.

Roman clicked is tongue. "Not so fast, ya little shits..."

While the Paladin's left arm was pinned, it's right arm was still free. With it, he activated the guns built in and took aim at the approaching ginger duo. He opened fired, a stream of bullets pelting the ground and closing in. Nora yelped as she was forced to stop, nearly being thrown off her feet and stumbling back. Penny, however, was unconcerned as her swords began to dance around, slashing and cutting away every bullet that came her way. Some managed to slip by, grazing her a few times. One managed to scratch her cheek, but her Aura protected her.

"Friend Nora, are you okay?" she asked.

Nora nodded as she readied her hammer. "That depends." She looked at her fellow ginger and grinned. "Do you wanna get reckless?"

"I am willing to try." She returned a chipper grin.

"Then let's go!" She transformed her weapon into its grenade launcher form.

As the bullets grew closer, Nora fired off several rounds. The majority of which missed and nearly struck Maine ("God fucking dammit, she IS like Caboose!") and Pyrrha as they moved in to provide support for Weiss and Yang, who readied for the next phase. Roman scowled, but then gave a menacing grin as he touched a few key inputs. Suddenly, every mounted gun on the Paladin switched back to missiles. However, these ones were loaded with high-grade Fire Dust.

A good enough package to knock them out, or better yet kill them.

"Say night-night~"

With a push of a button, the missiles went flying...and then Ren and Weiss intervened.

The heiress created a glyph beneath his feat. It was fashioned after a clock, as the arms along the surface begun to spin rapidly, encasing Ren in a bright glow. As the missiles neared, the martial artist fired off his own weapon, Storm Flower. His arms moved in a blur as he shot down each of the missiles to make them detonate in midair.

Nora grinned, saluting her friend before rushing in and changing Magnhild back to hammer form. Penny, who understood what her fellow ginger was going for, jumped onto the flat surface of the hammer before the former swung with all her might, firing off a rind and sending Penny flying, spinning into a forward somersault while her blades spun in front of her, turning her into a flying sawblade.

Before Roman realized it, the left arm was sliced away and fell to the ground with a thud.

Ruby and Blake shared a look before they both grinned. The Cat Faunus tossed her leader a clip with a strange marking on it. Without wasting time, Ruby swapped clips and removed her scythe from the ground, taking position. With a pull of the trigger, her body was sent flying. Far more so than usual, even with the power of the recoil.

The reason for this was because the rounds used were Gravity Dust rounds. With the right arm bound, the cloth that wrapped around the joint connecting the arm to the Paladin was gripped. The Paladin momentarily lost its footing as it was pulled. Ruby pulled the trigger again. Twice. Three times before the cloth finally did its job and ripped the joint off its hinges, thus taking the Paladin's right arm and leaving it with only its turrets.

Blake smiled as she pulled Gambol Shroud back to her side. 'Thank you, polyfiber.' she thought before switching her weapon to sword mode, looking back to Yang. The brawler grinned as she cracked her knuckles, taking the opportunity to reload Ember Celica.

Then Ruby set 'em loose with one word, "Bumblebee!"

Yang and Blake advanced, the former propelling herself with her punches while the latter threw Gambol Shroud and held onto its ribbon. Yang moved around the Paladins legs and wrapped the coats around it, hampering its mobility.

With a tug, the mech lurched forward.

And in front of it was Maine, Brute Shot MK-II at the ready.

Roman's eyes widened before he scowled. "Oh, son of a bi-"

A series of grenades flew from the recreated weapon, impacting the metal hull and swallowing it in a cacophony of explosions. Then pieces of scrap metal started to fly everywhere, emerging from the mix of explosions. Coming out from that explosion was Roman, who's suit was understandably singed and his bowler hat slightly singed. He landed on the ground harshly on his rear, groaning as he pulled himself up. "Dammit. I just got this cleaned."

"Eh, don't think it really matters all that much." Church gave his two cents. "I mean, seriously. You look more like a gigolo than some bigtime crime boss. Also, eye-liner? Seriously?"

"Well, just what are you supposed to be? Some blue pixie?" He retorted.

"A motherfucking ghost. And hey, at least I don't have orange hair. I mean, seriously! What is it, Halloween?"

"Oh, so the pixie has a mouth, doesn't it?" Roman scoffed.

Church folded his arms. "Hey, at least I'm not the guy who got his ass kicked by a bunch of horny teenagers." he snarked, causing Roman to growl. "This really must be embarrassing for you. Its one thing getting your ass kicked by kids, but it's gotta be even more embarrassing, getting owned by a bunch of girls."

"You...are very annoying."

"I'm an asshole. It's my redeeming quality."

"So I've noticed." Roman groaned as he dusted himself off. "And while I've greatly enjoyed this little party, I think it's about time I left this joint."

Penny narrowed her eyes. "No, you won't. You are hereby under arrest for breaking and entering, armed robbery, illegal trading and fraud."

"And what are you supposed to be? A cop?" Roman shot back. "Also, I wouldn't really call it robbery. I'd like to think that Vale is offering me a generous donation!"

Church rolled his head. "Okay, are we seriously just talking instead of busting a cap in his ass?"

"Already on it, little man." Yang smirked as she threw a punch. "Heads up!" With a round from Ember Celica, a concussive blast was sent flying straight at Roman. It would have blown him straight out of the park...

...if it weren't for something repelling it. Everyone stared, slack-jawed, as a woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing between the group and Roman. Her hair was definitely bizarre, as one half was colored brown and the other was pink with white streaks, and her eyes two different colors: light pink and brown. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. Under the jacket is a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hanged haphazardly around her neck. In hand was a parasol, which was open and held as if she had intended to use it as a shield.

"...what the fuck?" Church asked, completely thrown for a loop. "Okay, I get that this planet follows some kind of color naming rule, but Neapolitan ice cream? Seriously?!"

'Technically, it is a color.' Maine responded.

"Oh shut up."

"Well, ladies, gentlemen, Ice Queen, Pixie..."

"Hey!"

"...always a pleasure." Roman tipped his hat before turning to his companion. "Neo, if you would?"

The now-named Neo smiled as she sweeped into a curtsy bow. As she blinked, her eyes shifted color: the left eye was now brown and the right was white. Roman, meanwhile, turned his back as if to take his leave. Penny frowned before she brandished her blades, sending them forward.

When they hit Neo, she and Roman shattered apart into glass.

"What the fuck?!" Church gawked. Then the group heard the sounds of a helicopter. They looked up to see Roman and Neo riding away.

The mobster tipped his head, grinning down at them before he threw something down to the ground. Ruby looked down and was suddenly hit by deja vu. Thrown about the ground, right at their feet, were an assortment of Dust crystals. Roman then aimed his cane, the tip opening to reveal a muzzle and a crosshair.

Weiss was the first to figure out what was to come and immediately shouted, "SCATTER!"

The group scrambled away from the point of trajectory.

Roman then let a blast from his cane go flying. In the next second, everything became wreathed in explosive fire, electricity, ice. The resulting shockwaves from a few Gravity dust crystals had also cracked the ground apart and threw everyone off their feet in the midst of their escape, knocked straight into the air before landing back on the ground. Roman smiled at his handiwork before he pulled the door to the Bulkhead close, retreating into the ship as it flew away and thus leaving the group of teenagers on the ground winded.

Maine groaned, shaking his head. 'Damn...I must be out of shape or something.' he thought. 'If this was because in Project Freelancer, his ass would be kissing dirt.'

"Yeah, whatever. Keep telling yourself that, Vomit Boy." Church snarked. "Anyway, is everyone okay?! Say bitch if your alive!"

"We're okay!" Ruby raised her hand as she and the others pulled themselves up.

One by one, Team RWBY, JNPR and Penny got up from the ground. A little bit roughed up, but no worse for wear. "Ow, my face..." Nora moaned as she rubbed her nose. "I think I landed right on my nose."

"That could have gone better..." Yang muttered, rubbing her shoulder after having landed harshly on it. "At least we've alive, though."

"Amen." Pyrrha nodded in agreement before frowning. "Still, Torchwick escaped."

"We'll see him again." Blake said with determination. "Count on it."

The others could tell that she was far from satisfied with this outcome. Not that they blamed her. Even now, they still had no idea what the White Fang had in mind, nor why they were willing to cooperate with a villain like Torchwick. If anything, tonight only raised more questions than answers. Why did the Fang need so much Dust? Why work together with a human like that? In the end, all they could do right now was speculate, yet with nothing concrete to any clarification.

Maine likened it to a failed mission. The others, however, didn't quite see it that way.

"Well." Penny said as she dusted herself off, smiling a bit. "That was not quite what I had in mind for showing Theta Vale. Theta, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." the purple AI responded. "Um, are you okay, Penny?"

"I am doing great. Thank you for asking."

Church sighed. "Well, at least all of our asses are okay." he muttered. "To be perfectly honest, I kinda expected maybe one or two of you assholes to die."

"Wow." Nora rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, blue man!"

"Hey, just statin' things from personal experience." A pause. "Actually, I'm pretty sure the poor bastards on the highway got canned from all that car smashing." He then looked around and noticed the absence of two other males. "Hey, where's the pretty boy and the monkey?"

'Now that you mention it...' Maine started. 'Where did they go after getting thrown off the bridge?'

* * *

Meanwhile, at a small ramen shop near the highways where Roman had been chasing Blake and Maine, two young males could be seen eating from porcelain bowls, filled with broth and noodles.

"Hey." Sun looked at Neptune with worry. "You think they'll be okay by themselves?"

Neptune shrugged. "Who knows? I think so." he replied. "I mean, those girls are pretty badass. Same with that blonde guy with the pixie dude."

"...yeah. Your probably right."

* * *

"As exciting as this has been, I think we could probably use some sleep." Weiss said. "Plus, the police will be here any minute. Why don't we discuss what we found tomorrow morning?"

Pyrrha nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." she said, agreeing with the idea. They could probably use this chance to rest up. Especially since, chances are, class with Texas was going to be a killer on them. She then looked at Penny and bowed her head. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Penny."

"Oh no, it's fine." Penny waved a hand. "In truth, this incident will probably earn Atlas' attention. If the White Fang are in possession of Atlesian technology, especially a Paladin prototype, then the General will want to know about this."

Blake's eyes widened. For a moment, there was panic. Atlas investigating the White Fang? Somehow, that idea filled her with dread. If the strongest military in the four kingdoms was going to be coming after them, what was going to happen?

Penny, unaware of Blake's plight, then turned to Maine and smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself to you earlier, though. I am Special Operations Officer, Penny Polendina. And this is..." she trailed off when she noticed the purple AI next to her, hovering above her shoulder. "Um, Theta?"

Maine stared back at Theta, clearly aware of how the AI was staring at him. He bit his lip when he heard small echoes in his head, some of them haunting. Flames flickered in the back of his mind, accompanied by a deranged yet calm smile with a tempting voice. He scowled and curled his hands into a ball, blocking out the image. No. No way. He refused to return to that state. The Meta was gone. SIGMA was gone. And, in a way, so was Agent Maine of Project Freelancer.

He was just "Maine" Jaune Arc. A student. A former soldier. Nothing more, nothing less.

...it still didn't ease the guilt in his heart as he stared back at Theta.

"H-hello..." the little AI shyly waved.

Maine closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Uh, yeah..." Church rubbed the back of his neck. "Vomit Boy can't talk. He kinda got his throat shot all to hell. One of those days, am I right?"

"It's true!" Penny smiled. "I'm still surprised a human can survive nine consecutive bullet wounds at point blank range! Especially so close to the artiery! General Ironwood was not exaggerating about your toughness, Agent Maine!"

In response to her words, Ruby and Pyrrha's eyes widened in panic. "OH CRAP!"

"Agent...Maine...?" Theta questioned with a now blank expression. Gone was any bashfulness or hesitation.

Maine didn't look away.

"...well." Church broke the silence. "This is a pretty fucked up cliffhanger."

* * *

 _A response to the Atlesian Consul from General James Ironwood_

 _Dear Chancellor,_

 _You are making a grave error, sir. With all due respect, in spite of your claims of our world being in times of peace, we are far from that. Between the recent attacks from the White Fang here in Atlas and the movements of the Grimm in the Grimmlands, along with reports of the Branwen Tribe being on the move, I question if we are truly in what you call "times of peace."_  
 _I am fully aware of my limits as General, and as acting member of the Ministry. That does not, however, stop me from my ideals, sir._  
 _For as long as we can remember, the CTT towers have brought us communications, messages and information that is all shared between us. There is no Kingdom exempt from this trust between the kingdoms. What is to say that there will not be an individual with cruel intentions that will try and destroy this link of trust?_  
 _Even if I am to test your patience and trust, I will not stand by on the prospect that our towers will be safe forever._

 **A/N:** And at last, an update for this piece! And in 2018! Sorry I've been putting this story off. I've been focusing on my other stories, as well as helping a friend with his own. You might know it as "Of Crystal Shards and Dust." Speaking of which, that is going to be updated either this month or next. I'm in the zone, baby.

Anyway, again, sorry for the late update. Hopefully next one comes sooner, but hey. You people like my other stories. Oh, speaking of which, I recently published a new Red vs Blue fanfic titled " **I against I and Me against You**." Please give it a read when you have the time. I think you all may enjoy it.

I really don't have much to say here, actually. Surprising, really. But, before I end this Author's Note, I have spectacular news to you all:

RED VS BLUE: SEASON 16 HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AND IT WILL BE APART OF A NEW SAGA! Information right now is scarce, but it is set to take place immediately after S15! Hopefully they'll drop a trailer explaining the story in the coming months! Maybe once RWBY Volume 5 is wrapped up tomorrow by the time this chapter is published.

Also, I've said this before in my RWBY story "Clockwork Spectrum," but I'll say it again. People really need to stop complaining about Volume 5. Yes, it may have its problems, but you must remember that RT is trying their best without their mastermind Monty Oum. If anything, they're doing a far better job than I expected. If you ask me, Volume 5 is a lot like how Volumes 1 and 2 were. Volume 1 was like world building and suspense leading up to the White Fang's involvement in the story. Then Volume 2 ramped it up further.

And then we got Volume 3. Hoo boy, Volume 3. I still have PTSD flashbacks.

Well, that'll be it for now, everybody. If you liked this chapter, please leave a favorite and a review, tell me what you all thought of this chapter, and I'll see you guys next time!

PS: HOLY FUCK, RUBY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO CINDER'S FACE?!


	16. Volume 2: Chapter V

_A letter from Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy to James Ironwood  
_

 _Dear James,_

 _I have received your report in regards to the incident the other day in regards to Roman Torchwick's involvement with the White Fang and subsequent involvement in stealing Atlesian property. I will not lie. The idea that Sienna Khan has resorted to stealing Atlesian weaponry is more than concerning...and very confusing.  
It is odd for her to be acting so boldly, and more importantly, in a manner that paints the White Fang with a target on its back.  
Recently, the attacks perpetrated by the White Fang here in Vale have begun to grow increasingly more violent. If the rumors I've been hearing are of any indication, a certain Bull Faunus is leading the cell here.  
I am usually not concerned by these actions, but if things continue to escalate...  
...then I believe we will have no choice but to intervene.  
I pray it never comes to that._

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter V: Learning to Not Trip

It was around two or three in the morning when Pyrrha woke up to use the bathroom. Her bladder had refused to be hold its contents any longer, and she could no longer find it possible to sleep. It had been quick and easy. Though she was only half-asleep when she woke up, she was awake enough to realize that Maine was not in his bed. "Jaune...?" she murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Ridding herself of the sand, she looked around the room but found him nowhere.

She had a pretty good idea where he was, though.

Pyrra quietly left the room, softly closing the door behind her as to not wake up Nora and Ren. Both were equally exhausted, especially after what happened tonight. When they had returned to the academy, the headmaster had already been notified of their actions in attempting to arrest Roman Torchwick. In spite of Glynda's harsh reprimands, the day turned out relatively well. Or, as well as one could expect.

The halls, as she expected, were lonely and barren at night. The moonlight illuminated the halls, providing an almost ethereal wonder. It was almost beautiful.

 _Almost_.

In a few minutes, Pyrrha was at the rooftop. As she expected, she found the door slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she peeked her head and found Maine sitting at the edge, legs dangling over it while his head was lowered. There was a small glow around his features, likely a light or something.

"Maine?"

"Don't bother." Pyrrha almost let out a yelp as a blue light flickered next to her, forming into a familiar cobalt blue soldier. "I tried talking to him. Goes in one ear and out the other."

Pyrrha's eyes softened, looking at Maine's back. She could faintly hear a voice. A male one. It wasn't his, but it was familiar. One she had heard before. Not in person or on TV or anything, but in his memories. The voice of someone that had become irreplaceable family. "...how long has he been watching that video?"

"Since Theta gave it to him." Church replied. "You know, I was kinda expecting the little guy to blow up like O'Malley and go apeshit on his ass. Not give him a recording."

"Penny did say that Theta was your Trust." Pyrrha pointed out. Church merely shrugged. "How is Maine?"

"Like I said, anything I say goes in one ear and out the other. I don't think he even knows your here."

They both looked toward the former Freelancer, who remained where he sat, continuously watching the same clip over and over again with an empty expression.

Pyrrha's hands went up to her chest, clenched tightly. It hurt her to see her friend like this. Especially since the recording was bringing up horrible memories. Slowly, she approached the blonde, who remained unresponsive to her approach. She could faintly hear the recording being played in progress.

 _"-ll I'm saying is, you need to stop being such a pansy, Maine! Just cause you lost a game of strip poker to Florida doesn't mean you'll lose with us!"_

 _"Oh, bull. I got stripped buck naked last time I played with York. And that was long before Illinois jumped on the bandwagon!"_

 _"Stop bitching and grow a pair, blondie."_

 _"Hey, at least I'm not the one in my undies."_

 _"You wanna fight?!"_

It was a recording between North, South, and Maine from a long time ago. Peering over his shoulder, she saw the recording. South had been stripped down to her bra and underwear, holding poker cards in her hands while leveling a fierce glare at Maine. North was at the table, also holding cards while wearing boots and pants, but otherwise his upper body was exposed. There were a few others, but the recording mainly focused on those three.

It was a memory. A memory from when Maine still had his voice. A memory from before the whole AI catastrophe. A memory from when things used to be so simple.

"...how long have you been watching this?" Pyrrha asked as she sat down beside him. If he made any indication of hearing her, he didn't show it. Rather than speak up again, she patiently waited for him.

The recording played for a few more seconds before it glitched, suddenly rewinding back to the start. Maine watched it go back to the beginning before he closed his eyes, letting out a guttural sigh. 'When Theta saw me, I expected him to scream at me. Condemn me. Just do something. I...I didn't expect him to download this to my Scroll.'

"You look like you were having fun."

'Yeah... It was before the Sarcophagus mission. Before my vocal cords went to shit thanks to that sleeveless bastard.'

"I can tell..." She nodded. Given from what's she's witnessed from his memories, that seemed to be the case.

'I just...I'm just not sure what Theta was thinking. Why show me this? I know what I've done to North was horrible...and I regret that everyday...'

Gently, the red-head put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe, because, he hates the Meta. Not Agent Maine."

'That still doesn't change anything.' the soldier frowned. 'Just because I was being mind-fucked by Sigma doesn't mean I'm not responsible.'

"But it's really not your fault." She argued. "Theta knows you would never have committed these crimes, Maine. It was all Sigma's doing."

'Yet it's with these hands that so many of my friends are dead.' He closed his Scroll, ending the recording and staring at his hands. Even if Pyrrha couldn't see it, he could. The copious amounts of red drenched upon them. 'I can still hear them, you know. The voices. In the back of my head. They keep telling me the same things, over and over again.' Maine closed is eyes, teeth clenched as his hands trembled slightly. 'No matter how hard I try to block it out, I hear Sigma's voice. Some days, I think I'm going crazy.'

"But he's gone now. Church made sure of that."

"You bet your ass I did." The AI appeared on his shoulder. "Sniper killed him right between the eyes, point blank."

"But, on the off chance he is back, don't expect me to do anything." Church told him. "I've been inside your head once, pal. I'm not exactly keen on the idea of going back in. Also, quit your bitchin', will ya? You sound like some emo teenage brat. At least you've got your girlfriend here to look after you in case you do something stupid."

Pyrrha blushed heavily, turning away. "I-I'm not his girlfriend!" she protested weakly. "G-good grief..."

'Gee. Thanks for the vote of confidence Alpha.' He commented wryly. 'What a ringing endorsement.'

"Hey. I only agreed to help you out as your translator from now on. Don't expect me to dive into your fucked up mind again."

* * *

In the following days, everyone involved in last night had resumed their normal lives and classes were beginning as usual. And by luck of the draw, today was combat training. Currently, Pyrrha Nikos was battling the entirety of Team CRDL by herself, as proposed by Glynda and Texas, the latter of whom wanted to see what the girl could do without any support.

And as Church oh so colorfully put it, "They were pretty much fucked from the get-go."

'Damn straight.' Maine agreed with a nod. While CRDL demonstrated impressive teamwork, it was still essentially using numbers to overpower their foe. A foe who is much more skilled than them.

No matter how hard they came at her, no matter how fast or coordinated, Pyrrha was picking them off. In the end, the only ones left were Dove and Cardin. The former of which was unsuccessfully in taking her down as the red-haired girl charged on through the onstorm of bullets, shield barring them from her before she leaped forward and struck. Dove managed to evade it, but he was unfortunate enough to be struck by Cardin as he tried to take a swing at her, attacking his comrade instead. Scowling, he tried to attack Pyrrha. She smirked...

...and promptly sent him flying. "Son of a biiiiiiiiitch!" he cried before he landed face-first, causing a sickening crack, causing many to wince. Shortly afterwards, Cardin's body fell back to the ground. Groggily, he raised his head up. "L-lukcy...hit..." he managed to say before his rolled to the back of his head and his face hit the ground again.

The buzzer sounded, ending the match.

"Didn't even get a hit in." Church shook his head. "So sad."

Ruby giggled. "These days, Cardin's like a butt monkey." she said. "Then again, Pyrrha hasn't been beaten since she came here."

"She IS called the Invincible Girl for a reason." Weiss reminded them with a smirk.

"Will somebody drag these poor saps out of here?" Texas called into the stands. A few students volunteered, heading down to grab the downed Team CRDL from the arena and pull them back up into the audience. The Freelancer Agent then stepped forward. "Nicely done, Nikos. I see there's a reason why you won the Mistral Tournament three times in a row. Though I'd be lying if I said I was completely impressed."

Pyrrha, rather than question her, nodded. She knew better than to argue with her. After all, she had seen more action that she ever would. There wasn't much to compare between them, since one was a mere Huntress-in-Training and the other was a soldier and then some. "Yes, Professor Texas."

"Alright, then." The woman clapped her hands, turning to her fellow blonde. "I think we've got time for one more round. Suggestions, Glynda?"

The woman smiled. "I have a few." she remarked before she looked up at the stands, scanning them for potential fighters. Eventually, her eyes landed on one unfortunate victim. It was Blake, who looked heavily distracted. Her face was absorbed in her book and there were dark bags under her eyes, possible signs of sleep depravity. She wasn't sure why one of her more studious students was so distant, but this could provide a good wake-up call for her. "You've been rather docile these last couple of days, Ms. Belladonna." she called out to the girl, causing her to jump and slam her book shut in alarm. "How about it? Do you feel up for a challenge?"

Blake shifted uncomfortably. Dammit, she must have been dozing off. Why hadn't she payed attention? She didn't want to fight today. She was too tired. Then again, her mind had been so occupied with everything that's been happening lately. Sighing, she opened her mouth to speak-

"I'll do it."

-only for Mercury Black to take her place, raising a hand with an excited smile on his face, eager to get into the ring. Texas grinned. "Okay, pretty boy." she said, showing off her shark-like teeth. "Since you volunteered, who do you wanna take a crack at? Nikos, if she's got enough gas for one more round, or somebody else?"

The silver-haired teen cupped his chin in thought. "Let's see..." he hummed as he looked around. "I think... I wanna fight..." His gaze eventually settled on someone in the crowd and smirked, pointing a finger at his opponent. "Him."

Maine blinked, turning to see Mercury pointing his finger at him. Texas' smirk grew. "Well, okay then. Arc, Black, get your asses down here. Show us what you boys can do."

"She enjoys her new job far too much..." Church groaned before he looked at Maine. "C'mon, Vomit Boy. Let's get down there before Tex rips us a new one." Maine grunted. He knew better than to make Texas wait or refuse her something. He's made that mistake plenty of times back in Project Freelancer. As Pyrrha returned to the stands, smiling and giving him encouragement alongside the rest of JNPR and even from RWBY, he headed down into the arena, grabbing the Brute Shot MK-II.

From where she sat, Cinder frowned heavily and glared at Mercury. "This was not what we had planned." she admonished him. "You had a chance to test the Invincible Girl."

"Hey, you wanna see what Mr. Growl over there is capable of." Mercury shrugged. "Besides, we've got two months before the Vytal Festival starts. I'm sure we've got plenty of chances to see what golden girl can do." Cinder still didn't look happy, but eventually huffed and waved a hand, telling him to get a move on. Smirking, Mercury cracked his neck and hopped over the railing, landing on the ground and heading into the arena.

Truth be told, he was much more interested in going up against the mute than the Invincible girl. The dude survived nine shots point blank to the throat! You couldn't get more badass than that! That and Cinder wanted to learn more about his combat capability, so it was killing two birds with one stone. Who cared about priorities?

The two boys then stepped inside, one with a cocky smile on his face and the other carrying his signature weapon.

"Are both combatants ready?" Goodwitch questioned. Both males nodded in confirmation. "Very well then. Let the match begin!"

Mercury grinned as he gave the ground a quick tap with his foot, making sure his legs weren't acting funny. Maine rolled his shoulders as he transformed the Brute Shot MK-II into its battle ax form. "You know, you might be better off quitting now." Church quipped from atop Maine's shoulder. "Unless, of course, you're a masochist."

The teen chuckled. "Well, I can't resist a good challenge. Plus, need a chance to stretch my legs, you know."

Church shrugged his shoulders. "Your funeral." He turned to Maine. "If you'll excuse me...I've got an Ice Queen to annoy." With a flicker, the self-proclaimed ghost was gone. The blonde hissed as he swung his weapon, tensing his body and staring at his opponent wearily. Compared to everyone else, he knew nothing about Mercury. Going from how he tapped the ground with his foot earlier, he might specialize in kick-based attacks.

Then again, there was no better way to determine that other than a good old fashioned brawl.

[Play: Red vs Blue OST - Spiral]

Mercury kicked off the ground into a high leap, bringing his leg down into an axe kick. Maine saw it coming and used the flat of his weapon to block it.

A shockwave blasted through the arena with this, though Mercury wasn't done in his attack. Nor was he about to let Maine counter attack just yet. With surprising dexterity, he brought down his other foot and let out a kinetic blast from his boots. The result was knocking Maine back quite a bit and Mercury being flung away before landing on his feet, skidding to a stop. Maine growled as he shrugged off the blast before he charged forward, ax dragging behind him. Grinning, the silver-haired teen met his charge and spun around into a roundhouse kick, jumping off the ground and bringing in his other leg for extra power. At the same time, Maine pressed the trigger on the shaft and the boosters kicked in, increasing the swinging power of his weapon.

Ax met boots. And shotgun blasts met steel. A resounding boom echoed through the arena as Mercury was thrown back, but reoriented himself mid air while Maine skidded back only a few inches. The blonde wasted no time charging back at Mercury, this time jumping up and bringing the ax down on his head. Mercury fancily backflipped away, dodging the strike with ease and retaliated with a few blasts from his boots. Seeing the blasts coming, the former Freelancer twirled the Brute Shot around, deflecting each blast with ease.

The silver-haired teen frowned. "Okay, then..." he muttered as he gave the ground another quick tap. This time with his heel. "Let's try this."

He raised his leg and side-kicked the air, unleashing a kinetic energy round. He repeated the process a few more times until an onslaught was made directed at the former Freelancer. Bracing himself, Maine gripped the ax with both hands before he charged headfirst into the storm. For the most part, he tanked the hits, but managed to bat away any rounds that came within range. He kept charging until he blew past the storm and shifted his weapon into its grenadier mode. Then he let loose with blasts of his own. Mercury's eyes widened as he saw several Dust projectiles coming at him and acted quickly, flailing his legs as quickly as possible, sending out shotgun blasts from his boots.

To the Freelancer's surprise, the shots changed course mid air and effectively intercepted his own attacks. Yet Maine remained focused as he returned his weapon into its battle ax form and rushed in.

Once he was within range, he spun on his heel and swung. This time, Mercury was caught unguarded and found himself being hit in the solar plexus, knocking him right off his feet and thrown far away. As he tumbled, he managed to re-orientate himself and flip unto his feet, coming to a grinding halt. Rubbing his stomach, he found Maine smirking as he hefted his ax up to his shoulder, wagging the universal gesture of "come and get me." He scowled. "Alright...if that's how you wanna play...!"

The gray haired teen spun on his heel and released a flurry of kicks, firing a kinetic energy round each time that circled around him like a storm. "Okay, does he actually throw any punches?" Church asked from the stands. "What is he? Spider-Man from 1994?" Naturally, the reference went over the heads of RWBY and JNPR, having never heard of the wall-crawling hero of Marvel comics. "All I see him doing is kicking and shooting off fireworks."

Unknown to him, however, Emerald frowned, noting how serious their teammate was becoming rather than simply testing the waters. A few seconds later, however, Church would have to rescind his comment on Mercury's fighting style as he soon sent all the spinning rounds straight at Maine. Due to the sheer number, he wasn't able to block or deflect most of them. A few had landed a decent blow on him and sent his weapon flying out of his hands. One blast nearly knocked him off his feet, but otherwise remained standing. Once the hailstorm ended, he checked his Aura and frowned, noting how it was now in the yellow zone. Looking up, he found Mercury's Aura, as listed on the board, also in the same range with his blow.

"Now we're even." Mercury stated smugly. "Guess your translator was wrong."

Maine let out a low hiss as he cracked his knuckles. 'Alright, then. We do this the old fashion way.' he thought as his eyes burned. For a moment, the voices in the back of his head grew stronger, chanting the same words over and over. 'I don't need an ax to kick his scrawny ass anyway!'

Without even going for the Bruteshot MK II, Maine decided to charge straight at his opponent. Surprised by the insane move, Mercury continued his assault of kinetic energy rounds. While he preferred going in for close-quarters, it wouldn't be good to get so close, especially heavy blows like that.

What he didn't expect was for Maine to punch one of the kinetic blasts heading for him away. He had to duck underneath the countered blast, and scramble away to avoid even more attacks flung back at him.

Just how was he repelling them with his bare hands?!

He looked at the board. Each hit was just barely dropping his Aura. When he looked back, he found Maine already halfway through the arena. Biting the inside of his cheek, he shook his head and charged forward. If long range wouldn't work, he'd have to go for close range.

If only he realized what a bad idea that would be against Maine.

Going in fast, he went for a round house to the face, aiming for the heel. Maine blocked it with ease, pushing it away from his face when a shotgun blast came out. As he gripped the leg, however, Maine noticed something. It felt heavy. Cumbersome even. But there was also something else he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then again, he couldn't really care much about it. All he could think of now was paying Mercury back tenfold. The silver-haired teen scowled as he hopped up with his remaining foot, twisting about and sending a second kick his way. Maine grabbed it with ease and pulled him in, much to his surprise. Then Maine followed up with a punch to the face, knocking him to the ground and away from Maine. He groaned, rubbing his jaw as he got up to see Maine approaching, cracking his knuckles.

 _'Ow... Damn it! I thought that was gonna bust my jaw!'_

The force behind the blow would've broken his mandible if he didn't have Aura. It was evident based how much his own aura meter dipped. Maine then charged at him again, fists clenched and ready for another beatdown. Mercury leapt to the side to avoid it. As he landed, he lifted his leg and threw a shotgun blast his way. It struck Maine in the face, causing him to stagger, but it didn't hold him down for long as his eyes sharpened. He lunged and grabbed Mercury's ankle just before he could pull it back, and then swing him straight down into the arena floor. The blow caused a flare of pain to erupt across his back. Despite the tight pressure on his ankle, Maine felt no pressure creaking from bones. Instead, he heard the faint sound of metal bending. Not that it mattered. Without relenting, he flipped unto Mercury and then began to pummel him, throwing punch after punch.

"No way..." Emerald gasped with wide eyes. "He's pushing Mercury back?"

"More like he's getting his butt whooped." Yang said as her and her friends were focused on the fight.

From her spot, Cinder's eyes narrowed with a slight smile on her face. She had just found something quite interesting. She would have to keep a closer eye on Jaune Arc from now on.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Glynda frowned as she leaned over to Texas, whispering. "Are you certain we shouldn't stop this fight?" she asked worriedly. "At this rate, I fear one of them is going to be seriously injured."

"Oh, relax, Glyn." Texas assured her. "Maine isn't going to kill the poor kid." She paused briefly, not inspiring confidence in the fellow blonde instructor. "At least I don't think so. To be kinda honest, I'm impressed Mr. Kicker there hasn't already been clocked out."

Glynda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"W-will you get off?!" Mercury growled as he cocked his head to the side, evading a punch and then headbutting Maine, causing him to recoil. With him stunned, Mercury then took the opportunity to fire off two point-blank shots at Maine, throwing him off and fipping himself unto his feet. Maine hit the ground, but slid to a stop. He looked up at Mercury, who sported a few cuts and bruises on his face since that was where most of his punches were centered. He rubbed his nose, wincing. "Christ..."

Maine grinned as he stood up straighter, rolling his shoulders and cracking a few cricks on his back. As it currently stood, both their Aura levels were still in the yellow, but close into the red. The next move will be the one to decide this fight.

Mercury leaped up to his feet, gauging the distance between himself and Maine. He could try and go for the previous method and just hailstorm his way through the match, but a quick stomp and an empty click showed that he had little ammo left, making him curse his stupidity. He should have just tried and defeated Maine in a good-old-fashioned kick-fist contest. Of course, that might have ended in him losing. The sheer physical strength this guy had was insane.

No wonder he survived so many point blank shots to the freaking throat.

"Why're they just standing like that?" Ruby asked with a slight frown, tilting her head. "Aren't they going to hit each other?"

"They're on their last legs." Emerald stated with a hint of worry for Mercury. "One more hit, and one of them loses by default. Aura dips right into the red."

"So the next hit will decide it, huh?" Yang questioned.

"BREAK HIS LEGS, LEADER!" Nora shouted enthusiastically. "SMASH 'EM TO BITS!"

Mercury sweatdropped. "Your friend's...very vocal about limb breaking." he remarked. Maine simply shrugged before he pounded his fist into his palm. The teen smiled and gave the ground a light tap with his toe. "Alright...let's dance."

The two then charged at one another for the final time. Mercury then leaped into the air before flipping to deliver one final ax kick while Maine prepared himself for the coming blow.

He sucked in a breath, closing his eyes. Time started to slow to a crawl.

 _End it._ _Finish him._ _Deliver the final blow._ _Defeat._ _Kill._ _Tear._ _Destroy._ _Finish._ _Defeat._ _Death._ _Finish._ _Finish him._ _Finish him!_

Maine's teeth gnashed together, veins bulging.

 _FINISH HIM!_

His eyes opened, revealing burning crimson. He pulled back his fist and threw it with all of his remaining strength.

The fist came into contact with Mercury's boot.

The unmistakable sound of metal bending registered into his ears, but not enough in time for him to pay it any mind as Mercury, in a surprising move of dexterity, twisted his body to deliver a second kick with his other leg. Instincts flared and battle rampaged across his mind, grabbing the leg and squeezing so tightly that a foreign sound came back, rather than the familiar bone cracking, and pulled forward, dragging Mercury in just like before and delivering a powerful punch, straight to the center of his face.

His Aura dropped into the red, and he was knocked flying, flopping on the ground before resting firmly on the floor, groaning as he grabbed his face. The buzzer sounded off almost immediately.

"That's the end of that, boys." Texas called. "Jaune Arc wins."

Maine breathed heavily as he shook his head. He hasn't been pushed like that for a while. He had to admit, his opponent was skilled. His moveset was a tad unorthodox, given that the opponents he faced utilized standard military still, this should have been easy for him. Not too long ago, much to his own chagrin and sadness, he had fought off Team RWBY and even his own team all at once, defeating them and brutalizing them without relent. Now here he was, troubled against a single opponent. 'I really am out of shape.' he thought with a small hint of annoyance. This was unacceptable. He needed to get back into the swing of things. Back to the level he used to stand at. He needed to be at the level of a Freelancer again.

Still...

'Was it just my imagination...' He looked over at Mercury, who was walking back to the stands while tending to his now bruised nose, which looked a mix of purple and blue. 'Or did I feel metal underneath those boots?'

* * *

"...holy shit." Emerald marveled at the sight. "He actually dented them."

After classes ended, Cinder and her two assistants returned to their room. When they did, Mercury removed his boots and proceeded to do maintenance on his legs, though only after he locked the door to make sure no one noticed. Much to his own surprise and Emerald's internal glee that someone had managed to put a dent in Mercury's ego, as well as physically put impressions on his legs. On the left leg, the "calf" was bent and had imprints that looked as if somebody had dug their fingers into it with the grip of a King Taijitsu. The right leg's "heel" was bent, having met Maine's fist head-on.

All in all, the sight was unbelievable.

"I guess you got more than you bargained for." Emerald smirked at Mercury's annoyance. "That's what you get for not taking on Pyrrha Nikos and instead went for Arc."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" Mercury groaned. Repairs were going to be a bitch. He wasn't even sure if he could fix them as new this time. He took great care to maintain these legs...and now they're damaged because he had to fight against the mute.

"Just get them repaired as soon as possible, Mercury." Cinder told him. "We need you for when the party gets started."

"I know, I know." Mercury sighed as he continued to work. "Anyway, since we got to see what blondie could do... What'd we learn?"

"We learned that he is strong enough to kick your ass." Emerald started off. "We also learned that he is different from what his transcripts say of him."

"Indeed." Cinder smiled wryly, looking over the information on her Scroll. "Jaune Arc. 17. The youngest child of seven among the prestigious Arc Family. According to his transcripts stated that his skills were slightly above average. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet from personal notes by the professors here, his skills were completely subpar. His skill with a sword was lackluster. A few months ago, he was listed as missing in action on a mission. Then he miraculously reappeared, albeit in a coma for a few weeks."

Mercury quirked an eyebrow. "A sword?" he asked in mild disbelief. "Not his bare hands or that grenade launcher of his?"

"Indeed not." Cinder smirked. "And the best part is...his return to Beacon was only a few days before Texas Church's enrollment here as Hand-to-Hand Combat Instructor."

"So there is a connection between them?"

"Most likely."

Of course, there was something else. Something she had withheld from them both. Something she had seen in the fight. She just couldn't put her finger on it. There was something hidden in his form. Something raw. Primal. Begging to be let out. And she wanted to see it for herself. No matter what. Who knows? Perhaps it could be of some use. For now, she'd merely watch and see what happens. After all, she had much more important things to plan.

Namely, a virus in the CTT for when it was time for the "party."

* * *

"That fight was pretty close." Pyrrha remarked as JNPR sat in their room. "I half-expected you to beat Mercury with one hand behind your back."

"Yeah. What happened to the scary badass that was the Meta?" Church snarked as he looked over Nora's shoulder, watching a rather particularly funny cartoon involving a pink dog fighting off some kind of werewolf-like mole thingie. "You getting old?"

Maine rolled his eyes, giving Church the bird before he went back to push-ups. 'I'm getting rusty.' he thought to himself while his facial expression told his partner everything. 'I need to get back to where I was. Last thing I need is for something Project Freelancer related crap to happen.'

"What makes you think something Freelancer related might happen?"

Church gave Pyrrha a flat look. "Lady, in my experience, if any shit relating to Freelancer happens and I'm even remotely anywhere near a guy related to Freelancer shit... Shit will happen. And I've got two ex-Freelancer agents around me."

"But from what Delta said, the UNSC doesn't know Remnant exists." Ren pointed out. "The odds of them finding it are-"

"Shit. Happens." Church stressed. "Either that, or something completely unrelated to Freelancer happens and we're still dragged into it."

"But even so-" Pyrrha tried to reassure him, only for Church to interject.

"Trust me on this one. I guarantee that by the end of the week, something so batshit insane happens and we're all going to be dragged into it and screwed over one way or another because of it."

"I hope not." Nora chimed in. "The dance is this week!"

Maine stopped mid push-up and tilted his head, looking over at Nora puzzled while Church cocked his head. "Dance?" he asked. "What, like homecoming shit?"

"I don't really know what that is...but yes. It is a formal gathering." Ren replied.

"That's pretty much what it is, ninja boy." Church groaned. "Greaaaat. As if hormonial teens wasn't enough, we've got a night where kids will no doubt be banging each other behind closed doors. High school. Fun times."

'Oh, quit your bitching, Alpha.' Maine snarked as he finished another set of push ups.

"Oh you know I'm right, Vomit Boy. There's always some dude spiking the punch, and everyone who's horny enough gets together with some poor schmuck and bump uglies."

Before Maine could respond, a knock came to the door. "It's open." Pyrrha called. The door swung open, revealing a rather troubled-looking Ruby. "Ruby? Is everything okay?"

"Well, that depends on what you mean by, okay..." the girl sighed. "Um, it's Blake."

Maine pushed himself off the floor, flopping unto his rear and looked up at the girl with a frown, hissing. "What's the matter with Catwoman this time?" Church interpreted in his own words. "She in heat or something? Or she finally on her period?"

"N-no?" Ruby frowned. "It's more like...she's still hung up on Torchwick."

"You mean what happened the other night on the highway? What's there to be depressed about? We know where their hideout was, we learned they were stealing Dust and causing inflating prices, and none of us died. I'd say that's a pretty good outcome." Church said. "Just tell her to get over it."

"We tried." the silver-eyed girl stressed. "But she's still hung up. Roman got away, and she's starting to get paranoid. She hasn't slept in days. We've been trying to get her to go the dance. It's probably her best chance to unwind, but..."

"But she's making things difficult." Pyrrha guessed with concern. "I suppose I can't blame her. She used to be apart of the White Fang and now they're working with the mafia of all things. It must not be easy. Even so, rushing things won't help her any."

"We tried to tell her that too...but she just won't listen. I don't know what to do..."

Church folded his arms over his chest, flashing over next to Maine. "And what makes you think we can help?" he asked. "Unless, of course, you want Nora or Vomity Boy to smash her to bits to get the point across or have me and my charming self just annoy the fuck outta her."

"Please don't!" She quickly refused the offer. She was trying to get Blake out of her funk, not angrier or hospitalized!

She then gave another deep sigh. She just didn't know what to do. She had no idea why Blake was so obsessed. Why couldn't she just calm down for a moment? Didn't she understand how worried she was making everyone? She understood that Roman and the White Fang were up to no good...but that didn't give her the excuse to work herself to death. It wasn't healthy for her. At the rate she was going, she was going to crash and burn.

And she wasn't sure if Blake even cared about that.

* * *

As per Ruby's request, Team JNPR had watched Blake throughout the next day, and both immediately came to the conclusion that Blake wasn't just sleep deprived. She was running on fumes. She was dozing off in class, just a second away from falling asleep before slapping herself back into consciousness. She was distancing herself away from her team, barely paying either of the three girls any mind before going about her own business. There was hardly any happy expression on her face, if at all.

Quite frankly, it was starting to remind Maine of Carolina after Texas showed up. Only her sleep depravity came from hours of practice and ignoring her team because of her competative streak to match the woman, rather than ignoring her team out of a problem with some criminal organization.

"She looks like a zombie." Church said, hovering over the blonde soldier's shoulder.

'Yeah. Even worse than Carolina did.'

"Wait, seriously?"

'It was after Texas started to show up. I vaguely remember it, though. Heads still fucked up from Sigma.' Maine shrugged before he folded his arms. 'I still don't understand why Ruby asked us for help. I mean, do we look like the kind of people who can help?'

"Not in the fucking least. We don't do the emotional crap. She should've gone to that doctor guy or something." Maine nodded sagely in agreement. "Besides, girls are better at this shit. Touchy feely is their specialty. Unless, of course, your name is Tex."

"I hear that, asshole." Church yelped, whipping around while Maine, startled, looked over his shoulder to find Texas behind them, a sour look on her face with her arms folded over her chest. She was no longer dressed in her MJOLNER knock-off and instead wore a black tanktop with green cargo jeans and boots. "And for the record, I leave the touchy feely crap to the idiots. You know, like you idiots back home in Blood Gulch."

"Hey, I don't do touchy feely shit. That's more Caboose's job!" A pause. "And those two love birds at Red Team."

Maine quirked an eyebrow. 'You mean the fatass orange and the maroon one?'

"Yep. That's them." Church turned back to Texas. "So, what brings you here? Doubt it's a social call."

"General Ironwood's here." she replied with a strict tone. "Apparently, he heard about what happened back at the freeway."

"Seriously?" the self-proclaimed ghost groaned. "Didn't we already tell the Wizard of Oz what happened?"

"Hey, I'm just here to collect you two idiots. Plus, I hear Ironwood's got a proposal for Maine here." The former psychotic mute frowned, tilting his head. The General of Atlas had a proposal for him? What would he want with him? Hopefully not asking him to be a soldier. As far as he was concerned, he was done with that life. All he wanted was to stay here at Beacon with his team. With Pyrrha. "Dunno what it's about though. I just know Penny's there too."

"Penny? What's she doing here?" If Penny was here...then that meant Theta was here as well.

"She's a student at Atlas, so it would be obvious she would be here for the Vytal Festival."

"Oh, right. She still got Omega?"

Texas smirked. "And torturing him. Bet ya ten bucks he breaks before the tournament starts."

"I'll take that action."

Maine shook his head, but otherwise followed Texas out of the library. Unknown to any of the former Project Freelancer soldiers, Blake had been watching them out of the corner of her eye and sighed. She thought they would never leave. 'They were probably asked by Ruby to check up on me.' she thought. She understood that she was pushing her teammates away, but they should understand her problem. They couldn't just sit around here while Torchwick was still running around. And cooperating with the White Fang.

She couldn't slow down. Not now. Not when there was still so much they didn't know!

It wouldn't be until two minutes later when she noticed the red laser pointer aimed at her, courtesy of a certain brawler.

* * *

"With all due respect, James... Do you honestly expect him to cooperate?"

"Of course I don't. Not after everything that young man's gone through. But, I can't think of anyone else who would-"

 _[General. Huntsman Arc and Agent Texas are currently en-route.]_

"Thank you, Delta."

James, Ozpin, and Glynda were currently discussing matters regarding Maine when he would arrive. James arrived to offer the student a choice that was ultimately up to him. He would not force the child into the very same role that destroyed him again. Penny stood off to the side, looking on as the three adults spoke among themselves. While they were discussing Maine, she was speaking with the three AIs under her care. Or more accurately, the two AIs in her care. Delta had been allowed to travel freely, as he was fully functional. As for Omega...

 **"I demand you release me!"** the menacing dark purple AI growled, trying to break free from a holographic cage that more or less made up the locks that kept him from being released outside Penny's blackbox. **"If you don't, I will destroy you!"**

Delta shook his head. _[Even now, you still insist on obliterating everything.]_ he said with exasperation. _[Also, I would like to bring a counter-argument: you cannot technically destroy Special Operations Officer Polendina while still inside the Security Blackbox.]_

 **"Oh shut up, barlight!** " He snapped. **"I will find a way...and you shall all...taste...OBLIVION!"**

Theta stared at Omega, tilting his head. "And how are you going to do that?" the AI asked out of genuine curiosity.

 **"...shut up you brat!"** Omega barked after realization he had not thought of a way to do just that. **"My point still stands! One day, you will all face-"**

"Now now, Omega." Penny gently chided him. "No need to be hostile. We're all friends here!" She smiled widely as she clapped her hands. "Just think happy thoughts! It can't be good, being angry all the time! It is very bad for your health, AI or no."

"AIs have health coverage?" Theta asked innocently.

Delta shook his head. _[I sincerely doubt that.]_ he stated before his form flashed, catching the adults' attention. _[Huntsman Arc and Freelancer Texas have arrived.]_

At that moment, the elevator doors slipped open, allowing the blonde soldier and Texas to enter. No sooner had she stepped into the room had Penny bolted from her seat. rushing up to the two. More specifically, Texas. "Big Sis!" she cheered as she wrapped her arms around Texas, causing the woman to stiffen. "You're here! Oh, I am so excited to see you again!"

"...wait, back the fuck up." Church formed over Maine's shoulder. Were it not for the fact that his face was a helmet, he would have an expression of pure disbelief. "Since when is Tex Penny's sister?! I mean, yeah, she's a walking bucket of scraps and bolts like somebody else in this room, but last I checked, she's not an AI." He looked at Ironwood for confirmation. "Right?"

The corner of the general's lips quivered slightly, threatening to form into a smile. "Well, technically, they are in a manner of speaking." he said while Texas awkwardly tried to pry Penny off of her. "The body Agent Texas is using is similar to Penny's own body. Hence why she calls her her older sister."

Church looked back at Texas, then at Penny. Then he started to snicker. "Oh, that's funny." he said, holding his stomach. "Never thought I'd see the day when Tex was so...awkward around someone else!"

 _[From the data I've gathered, Special Operations Officer Polendina is the only one of her kind.]_ Delta stated as he flickered over to Church along with Theta. _[She is Remnant's first artificial human. Agent Texas' current body is similar in design, though this was Atlas' second attempt. Naturally, however, the body is an empty shell and lacks a soul. Even so, Polendina regards Agent Texas as her actual sibling.]_

"You don't say? By the way, looking good, D."

 _[You as well.]_ he replied before turning his attention to Maine. _[It has been a long time, Huntsman Arc.]_

'Same here.' Maine silently replied. 'I just wish it was under better circumstances, Delta.' Even though he wasn't the one who killed York, Maine still felt guilty taking the green AI. At least Wyoming was dead. Though he barely had half a mind as The Meta, he could vaguely remember reading the report. Bastard was killed by the simulation troopers, in spite of his equipment allowing him to duplicate himself via one of the temporal distortion's functions.

Delta, however, seemed nonplussed and waved a hand. _[It is alright. Your actions were a result of the Director's and Sigma's manipulations. Still, it is good to see you again. A shame York is not here to see you back in your correct state of mind once again.]_

Maine smiled sadly. 'Yeah...'

"Hey, hey. Let's not get a pity party going on here." Church said as he broke away from the oncoming depressing atmosphere. "I'm still enjoying Tex being all flustered. Keep up the good work, Penny!"

"Fuck you, Church!" Texas growled, still trying to pry Penny off of her. Except now she was hugging her leg this time after she managed to slide her off her chest. "Okay, kid, look! I get this body is like yours, but dammit all...!"

The staff of Beacon Academy looked incredibly amused. Glynda most of all, considering most of the time she spent working with Texas, the woman was usually standoffish and overall violatile on most days, taking great pleasure in watching students kicking the crap out of each other or getting the chance to break them with her own fists come hand-to-hand combat time. Ozpin, on the other hand, was more or less amused and overall quite impressed with Penny's overall nature. He initially feared that the poor girl would be raised as a mere tool, but so far from what he's seen, that was not the case. She was as human as the rest of them.

Ironwood looked as if he wanted to enjoy the sight as well, but gave an awkward cough into the ball of his hand. "If we may get to the reason why I asked Mr. Arc here..."

"Yeah, yeah." Church shrugged his shoulders, flickering over to Ozpin's desk. "So, what's the deal, Morning Wood? Why bring Vomit Boy here? No, wait. Don't tell me. Your actually going to get him a voicebox. Let me tell you, working as his translator is hardly any fun!"

Maine hissed, glaring at the blue-colored AI. 'Keep talking, Alpha, and I'm letting Tex have her way with you.' he threatened before looking at Ironwood wearily, gesturing a hand. 'Continue, please.'

The General nodded his head, thanking Maine as he somewhat understood the gesture to allow him to return to the topic at hand. He looked over at Delta, who nodded and raised a hand. Before the eyes of everyone, a holographic screen appeared before them. Displayed on the screen was a suit of armor. One that looked eerily familiar to Maine as he felt a chill run down his spine. If he had a mouth, Church would have found his jaw meeting the floor. Texas' eyes narrowed dangerously, showing off her sharp teeth while Theta looked on nervously.

The armor on the holographic screen had a disturbing resemblance to Agent Maine's old armor. It was not as bulky as the armor itself, but the helmet was identical to his own.

 _[This is the Systematic Tactical Intelligence Killzone Elimination Recovery Za-1 Assault Armor, codename "STRIKER".]_ Delta began. _[Remnant's second, and most successful attempt at mixing Remnant and UNSC technology. While it is nowhere near as powerful as the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor worn by SPARTANS and Freelancer Agents, it is vastly superior to any Atlesian Knight android currently in use or in development. If worn by an experienced individual with considerable combat prowess, it can even stand above the Atlesian Paladin, which is still in the prototype stage. The first attempt to create a hybrid of UNSC/Remnant tech was the armor worn by Agent Texas, though it lacks the enhancements and capabilities of the STRIKER unit. Additionally, it has been outfitted with all known weapon and technological enhancements used in Agent Maine's old suit.]_

"...let me get this straight." Church started, his voice tense and full of dread. "You're telling me you guys managed to make a prototype suit out of the Meta's old armor. With every enhancement used in Project Freelancer."

 _[Correct.]_

"Including the Domed Energy Shield?"

 _[Yes.]_

"Tactical Camouflage?"

 _[Affirmative.]_

"And Wyoming's time powers?!"

 _[That is correct.]_

Suffice to say, the self-proclaimed ghost looked positively freaked out as his form flashed rapidly. "Am I the only person here who thinks this is a very bad idea?!" he asked in distress. "Especially in the hands of Mr. Overkill over here?!"

Ironwood frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, he's not wrong." Glynda agreed with Church, surprisingly enough.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh...dude? Look out the window behind you. See all those heavily armed airships filled with highly trained and weaponized soldiers in the sky out there?" Church aimed his thumb at the fleet standing in the air, all of which armed to the teeth. "You honestly expect people to feel safe when they've got a shit ton of soldiers just outside their front door? Especially when they don't have any idea why that fleet's there in the first place?!"

"They do bear a point, James." Ozpin said, folding his hands. "These are times of peace, however waning such days are."

Ironwood closed his eyes. "Perhaps." he agreed. "But, Oz, you know that those days will vanish. Especially with Queen on the move."

"Who the fuck is Queen?" Texas questioned. "And what aren't you people telling us?"

The three adults shared a look with one another, obviously debating something important. Penny tilted her head, wondering what they could be thinking about before Ironwood turned back to them. "We can't say. At least, not for now. What we can say, however, is that in spite of what the Council would like to tell everyone, there is much more happening in the background than you think."

"Like what?" Theta asked.

"Like the White Fang cooperating with someone like Torchwick." Ironwood replied. "Like a group of bandits acting in a way that has the Councils concerned. Like Grimm activity being at a new level that has everyone worried. There's a majority of things that has everyone worried. And it's also why we made the STRIKER unit."

Texas frowned. "And what does any of this have to do with Maine?"

 _[The STRIKER was also designed to be fully compatible with AI assistance.]_ Delta informed them. _[However, it's only flaw is its consumption of power. Without the aid of several AIs to regulate how much power is diverted to the suit's functions and abilities, its combat capabilities are severely hampered.]_

"And the Military over in Atlas has you, Theta and Omega." Church crossed his arms. "That makes three."

[ _Five, if you were to include Agent Texas and yourself, Church.]_ Delta reminded him. _[Or more accurately, Atlas possesses five AI Fragments. The twins, Iota and Eta, are still in the process of being repaired. Alongside Epsilon, they were among the recent of additions. Therefore, their systems required a more delicate touch, so to speak. Back to the matter at hand, there is almost no one on Remnant, as far as my investigation of Remnant's combat personnel goes, that is capable of utilizing the STRIKER to its full potential.]_ He trailed off, almost meant on purpose as he looked at Maine, who already understood the implications and developed a dark look on his face, eyes burning straight into Ironwood. _[All except for one person.]_

Everyone's attention turned to the blonde ex-Freelancer. The look on his face more than suggested he was not happy with what Ironwood was saying. He gave a menacing growl, glaring at the General with animosity. It didn't take Church to translate the meaning behind the growl.

Ironwood wanted him to fight for him. For the military.

"Let me make this perfectly clear." Ironwood said as calmly and as amicably as he possibly could, fully aware that he was treading on a landmine here. "I am not forcing you. Nor am I requesting or ordering you for to fight for us. To fight a battle that most people aren't aware of what's happening." The General sighed as he fiddled with his Scroll, bringing up a Map of Remnant. With a push of a button, the screen focused on a small island, close to the shores of Vale. "Recently, there have been reports that the White Fang's more radical and more active cells in Mistral, led by a man named Rojo Desagra, have been sighted near Vale."

Church huffed. "And you can't call in your brats or men to deal with this because...?"

"Because as of now, Desagra hasn't done anything noticeable, and we have no evidence of his activities in the area. We have no proof he has committed any criminal activity yet. As such, apprehending him now would only create political issues as we were not given the allowance by the Vale government."

Texas scowled. "So you want someone who isn't affiliated with the government, or with Vale for that matter, to go after him." she seethed. "In other words, an ex-Freelancer agent."

 _[The Atlesian Government and the military are currently unaware of STRIKER's existence.]_ Delta told them. [ _With the exception of the researchers who helped to develop it, only those in its room are aware of its existence.]_

"So, what? You expect giving Vomit Boy some kind of awesome, experimental prototype armor is gonna be enough to get him to go on this suicide mission? I think I speak for the both of us when I say thanks, but no way in hell..."

"That, and in case you forgot, Project Freelancer was a military program that screwed us all over." Texas reminded the man. "I think the last thing Maine wants to get involved in is military affairs."

Ironwood didn't look the least bit offended or worried about the refusal. Instead, he looked understanding and bowed his head. "I'm well aware of that. All I'm asking is...you give the matter some thought."

Maine made no sound. Church looked at him, half-expecting him to blow the guy off. The brute sighed and shook his head, giving the General another weary look before hissing. "He's asking when you need an answer by." Church said on point for once, though it was clear by Maine's tone that he pretty much had no intention of actually accepting the offer.

"Possibly by the end of the dance in the next few days." Ironwood. "If I don't receive an answer by then, I will accept your refusal."

"Then we done here?"

"Yes."

Without another word, Maine turned on his heel to leave, hands in his pockets. Church vanished from sight, disappearing back into the collar around the blonde's neck before Texas joined him. The elevator doors closed, hiding them from view, though the sour look on their faces told them everything they needed to know. Ironwood sighed heavily as he leaned against Ozpin's desk while the man in question looked a bit tired himself. "That went better than I thought."

"I suppose." Glynda grimaced, adjusting her glasses. "I have expected him to react violently to such a request."

" **A shame he didn't..."** Omega muttered to himself. **"I love a good carnage."**

Penny frowned, glaring at the AI Fragment of Rage in disapproval. "Omega. There is a time and place for everything." she admonished, causing him to growl before she turned to the General. "Please don't worry, General. I'm sure Agent Maine will accept your offer."

 _[I would have to disagree.]_ Delta rebuked her without hesitation. _[Huntsman Arc's personal history and experience with AI experimentation alone paint a very clear picture. The odds of him working with another military organization are approximately 7.3982%.]_ He then gave a brief pause, looking about the room before he spoke again. _[By the way... Where is Theta?]_

* * *

"Un-fucking-believable..." Church groaned. "I half-expected the guy to try and strong-arm you into the whole thing."

"Aw, that's sweet." Texas snickered. "You do care for Maine."

"The fuck I do. I still haven't forgotten all the shit Vomit Boy's put me through. If Morning Wood did get him to agree with this whole suicide mission, chances are, I'll be forced to go along for the ride. I'd sooner spend a whole week with Caboose than go along for that shit. Sure, I ain't gonna get killed, but getting shot at is really, REALLY annoying. You know?"

'Again, you realize you are a Hologram, right? You can't get hurt you idiot.'

"It's the principle of the matter, Vomit Boy!"

Maine rolled his eyes. The unpleasant feelings from earlier lingered quite a bit, leaving him a slightly foul mood. In all honesty, couldn't care about the affairs of the military. He would not be used again. Not after what happened. The last time he trusted someone in the military, it ended with him getting an AI that wanted to achieve metastability and forced him to kill his closest friends and family just to achieve that purpose. Worse, the circumstances that led to him being in that program led to him losing his memories. As far as he was concerned, he would never get involved with Atlas. Not unless he was absolutely forced to. He had a life here. A life he could finally get back into. A life with his teammates and friends. People he had forgotten and wanted to reconnect with.

He sure as hell wasn't about to indulge in Ironwood's wants and needs.

"Glad to see we're on the same page, buddy." Church said happily, fully aware of the man's thoughts. "Now, come on. Let's go annoy the hell out of..." He trailed off when his form flickered, causing Tex and Maine to look at him strangely. "The fuck?"

"Something wrong, Church?"

"Yeah. I think something's messing with the collar. Either that, or..."

Suddenly, a familiar purple-and-pink holographic soldier appeared next to Church, startling him and causing Maine's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Um... Hi?"

"Theta?" Tex gasped. "What're you doing here?"

"I uh...I followed you...?"

"...Yeah, we can see that. She meant why are you here. With us. And not with Penny and the others?"

Maine was silent, yet he contemplated. Why did Theta follow them?

Was he actually angry at him? Did he want to try and convince him on the behalf of the General? Likely, given he was the Alpha's Trust.

"W-well, I um..." the AI fidgeted, rubbing his index fingers together. "I-I was sort of hoping...I could come with you guys?" Maine stared at the AI wide-eyed, nearly doing a spit-take. Texas raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in intrigue. "Don't get me wrong. Miss Penny's really fun to be around. Especially when she has me and Delta try and help Omega with his...anger issues. But its-its not exciting to be around someone. Especially around someone as intimidating as the General." Theta's form dappened somewhat as he kidded the invisible ground beneath his feet. "He...kinda reminds me of the Director some days."

Texas chuckled. "Trust me on this, kid. Compared to the Director, Ironwood's a thousand times better. Even if he does overdo it on the whole safety thing."

"I know that...it's just...I can't help it. He just reminds me of him. I know he cares about our safety...but I'm trying my best to trust him..."

"For what it's worth, I think it's good you're suspicious of old Morning Wood. But back on topic. Why do you wanna come with us, little guy?" Church questioned. "I mean, hey. Don't get me wrong. I know I'm fucking awesome, but what's the deal?"

"I...I just...I just want to get to know Maine..."

Maine felt his legs nearly give out. He stared at Theta as if he were insane. 'Excuse me?' he thought in utter shock. 'Theta, in case you forgot, I KILLED North! I ripped you from his neck! Why in the world would you want to get to know the guy who murdered your best friend?!'

"Because North always thought you were a good person."

'...What?' He could only ask a single word. Did he hear him right? No, he couldn't have possibly had said that. Not after all he's done. North thought he was a good person? How in the hell could he even think that? Especially after what he did? He killed Carolina in cold blood. He hunted them down and killed all those people who stood in his way. In what definition was that considered good?! North was wrong. Theta was wrong. He wasn't a good person. Even if his actions were because of Sigma, that did not change the fact that he was the reason behind so many of his friends' deaths.

"Okay, dude. Stop." Church groaned. "We do not need you going emo on us here. I get we're in high school and you regret what you did, but for fuck's sake man!"

Theta nodded in agreement. "Even if you don't think so, North did. And I trust North." Shyly, the AI rubbed the back of his neck, laughing sheepishly. "And...I want to trust you too."

'...I appreciate your trust Theta...but I just can't trust myself yet...' Maine replied honestly. 'Especially when my head is still fucked up.'

"Even still. I still want to learn to trust you, Maine. You were North's friend too..."

Maine stared at Theta, his face unreadable, before he sighed and a hand through his hair. Texas chuckled, patting his shoulder. "Congrats, Maine. Now you got two brats to look after."

"Hey!" Church growled. "Who're you callin a brat?!"

"And you have just proved my point." The former top freelancer smirked.

The cobalt soldier groaned, shaking his head before Maine felt his Scroll vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he opened it to see it was a message from Pyrrha. "Looks like Red didn't need our help after all." Church scoffed. "Bimbo helped her out. Guess that means she'll be at the dance. Just to be on the safe side, don't drink the punch. Last thing we need is the scariest fucking mute in the galaxy to get horny and bang."

* * *

Before too long, the night of the dance had arrived. The first person he saw when he arrived was Yang, who was obviously meant to greet newcomers to the party. Her dress was enough to put a heavy blush on Maine's face. Church on the other hand whistled. "Damn, Bimbo... You ain't afraid to flaunt those funbags, are ya?"

Yang giggled. "The boys seem to think so." she said with a wink. "Though Pyrrha's definitely turning heads." She gestured her head to his partner. He looked among the crowd of people, and promptly felt his jaw drop. He damn near felt his heart skip a beat.

His partner wore a bright red, sleeveless dress that was the same color as her hair. It was open at the back and the front of it went up around her neck. The hem of the dress went down to her ankles with a slit on the right side, showing off her legs. On her head was the same circlet she always wore.

She looked positively stunning.

"Close your mouth, lover boy." Church laughed. "You'll let a fly in."

"Wow..." Theta marveled. "So many people...a-and this is supposed to be a dance party?"

Yang smiled. "Of sorts. Trust me, Theta. You'll love it."

While it had been a surprise for the group to learn that the little AI had chosen to join Maine, they soon grew used to his presence. Not to mention he was still adorable to the girls due to his minute size and bashful demeanor.

"But...I can't dance..." He admitted shyly.

"Well, I can't either little buddy. The good thing is that we don't need to." Church assured him. "Speaking of dancing, Vomit Boy..."

Maine shrugged. 'We're about to find out.' he responded before exchanging high-fives with Yang and entered the party.

Compared to the hustle and relaxing parties in Project Freelancer, which were short and sweet and usually ended in a fistfight at the bar or just drunk off your ass, the party was absolutely bustling with music blaring and people constantly on the move. Several people were either on the dance floor with someone in their arms, smiles spreading all around. Others were hanging around aimlessly with drinks in their hand. Off to the side, he caught Ruby hanging around the punch bowl, looking incredibly awkward. Not that he blamed her. She did prefer the smaller crowds. He also gave a slight smile when he found Blake, dressed in a rather beautiful black dress, together with Sun. Who, unsurprisingly, wore the black dress shirt open.

At least he knew to keep the tail covered.

"Found Hammer Girl and Ninja Boy." Church chimed, pointing to the corner of the room. Maine found them shortly after. Ren looked as if he was either amused or concerned. Possibly both. The reason for this was Nora drinking with another student, downing shot glasses filled with punch that were constantly being refilled. And there were numerous shot glasses. Twenty by his count. "Do we even wanna know what's in those shot glasses?"

'Probably not.' Maine gave a hoarse chuckle before he found Weiss. She was standing by a table, tending to a small flower and trying to keep it in place, though for some reason it kept wilting out of the vase. He gave a small frown as he crossed his arms. 'That's weird.'

"What is?" Theta asked curiously.

'Neptune isn't with Weiss. I could have sworn I saw her asking him to the dance the other day.'

The self-proclaimed ghost snorted. "He probably turned her down." he said with disinterest. "He did kinda struck me as a Dan Juan kind of guy. Plus, isn't she supposed to be the daughter of some bigwig company on this planet?"

'Yeah. The Schnee Dust Company. One of the leading, if not THE leading, Dust distributors on Remnant. But it didn't seem like Neptune was aware of her status...so why did he reject her?'

"Beats me. And honestly, I don't think it's any of our business. Let's just go an meet with Spartan Girl." Church said.

'I don't know...this whole thing is bothering me.' He then noticed the blue haired teen off to the side chatting with other students.

"Maybe we can ask him?" Theta offered.

Maine nodded. In truth, he wanted an excuse to try and leave the floor. Being around so many people...it made him anxious. Not once in his life as he ever been in a crowd like this and didn't have a gun on him. Sure, none of them had a weapon on hand except for the Atlas soldiers acting as security, but he still felt nervous. Standing in the middle of a large crowd like this was starting to make him paranoid. Shaking his head, he looked back at Neptune to find him heading up to the balcony. Immediately, he followed after him, gently pushing away the other guests.

Unknown to him, though, Pyrrha noticed him leaving for the balcony and out of curiosity followed behind him.

* * *

Neptune sighed as a fresh, cool breeze whipped against his face no sooner had he stepped out from the stuffy party room, tugging on his collar. It felt oddly constricting for some reason, despite having worn this suit so many times before now. This really shouldn't have been any different, yet somehow, his hands were clammy. "What is up with me?" he wondered aloud. "Even my game talk with the girls downstairs was weak."

"Yo, Playboy wannabe!" Neptune let out a (manly) yelp as he whipped around, finding Maine standing behind him with his arms crossed. Bizarrely, despite everyone else dressed in tuxedos or dresses or the likes, the blonde brute before him was dressed in is everyday clothes: a black jacket with a hood, a white shirt, and denim jeans. On either shoulder were two holographic soldiers. He recognized one of them as Church, his translator, but the other was slightly unfamiliar to him. "What's shaking? Having trouble with the 'bow chicka wow wow' mojo?"

The blue-haired teen raised an eyebrow before he laughed slightly. "Okay, first of all, who even says that? And secondly, nothing much. Just needed some fresh air. To be honest, this party isn't really my cup of tea. Dancing really isn't...my style."

Which was an understatement, but he didn't dare share that.

"Then why are you even here? Last we saw, you were down there flirting with all those chicks by the dance floor. What? Got rejected?"

"N-no!" Neptune denied it. "That didn't happen! I...I just needed some air..."

"...is it scary talking to girls?" The other AI questioned in a innocently curious voice. "People scare me too..."

Neptune shook his head. "N-no." he said. The purple-and-pink AI didn't look convinced. Either that, he was still curious. He then sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair, noting that the dried gel was starting to flake. "Okay, well, it is. Especially when you're trying to, you know, get them to like you. Girls can be very confusing."

"Amen to that." Church said sagely. "And I can point you to the most confusing girl in this whole damn world, for she is a bitch, kicks ass and chews bubblegum."

Maine quirked an eyebrow. '...even though she technically has a body now, and I should remind you that it isn't a human body, I'm pretty sure Texas doesn't chew bubblegum.'

"Semantics." the Alpha shrugged. "Still, I guess the fact that you're out here being a wallflower means you stood up Ice Queen down there."

At this, Neptune winced. "I-I didn't really stand her up!" he said. "I mean, she's really cool! And pretty!"

"And she happens to be the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Pretty sure that dampens whatever you got going for her."

"L-look, I'm not into Weiss that way."

"Then why're you out here like a loner?" he snickered. "Being with a girl cramps your style? You know something, I take what I said about you back. You're actually somehow both more decent than Tucker, yet at the same time still a sleazeball."

A vein above his eyebrow throbbed angrily. "Hey." Neptune snapped. "I told you. It isn't like that!"

"Then what is it?" Church retorted. "You had a chance with Ice Queen back there, and you stood her up. She asked you to the dance, and you rejected her. And yet you think she's 'cool and pretty', and not interested in her status. And you blew your chance, man. You just led her around, thinking you had a chance before blowing her off. For what good reason do you have that you-?"

"I can't dance!" The words flew out from Neptune's mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

"...Say what?"

'...What?'

Maine stared at Neptune, his mind short-circuiting for a moment. Church, however, was the first to pick himself up. "...let me get this straight. You blew off a chance to date possibly the biggest stuck up princess in the world, and quite possibly what those anime nuts call sundaes or something, all because you can't dance?" Neptune said nothing, the shame in his face saying everything. The three looked at him before Church busted out laughing. "Are you fucking serious?!"

"H-hey! I spent years perfecting the cool look!" Neptune tried to justify himself, albeit very weakly as he realized. "Not being able to dance is like admitting your not cool!"

"But..." Theta tilted his head. "You are cool. At least, you look like it to me."

"That means a lot, little guy. Really, it does."

Maine sighed, face-palming. 'Alpha? Theta? Can you give me a second with him?'

"Why?" Church snickered, still laughing his ass off. "So you can roast him too?"

'Alpha...'

"Oh, fine. Whatever. Just let me know when you're done."

Theta nodded and waved at Neptune before the two AIs vanished, flashing back into the collar. Neptune frowned in confusion as Maine looked at him, expression even before he removed his Scroll from his pocket. That confused him further. He seemed to be typing something on his Scroll before he walked over and handed it to Neptune. The teen frowned as he took it from him, looking at what he wrote.

[Do you like Weiss?]

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know her too well yet, but...she seems pretty cool."

[Then just go talk to her.] Maine continued. [No pickup lines. No suave moves. Just be yourself. I've heard that's the way to go.]

"Yeah...but that isn't-"

[You don't have to look cool all the time. If all honesty, putting on an act like that will actually turn girls away in the long run. Trust me on this one.] He heard the advice from York. Suffice to say, he would take it to heart to avoid an ass-kicking. [I had a friend named York. He had a girlfriend who knew how to kick your ass while looking good doing it. He didn't pick her up with suave pick up lines or anything like that. He did it just by being himself. Admittedly, he was drunk, but even still. It worked.] Of course, there were more than a few times when the two had their spat. It was all in good jest, and being in the middle of a war could strain relationships. Even so, the two were as thick as thieves. And even more so. [Just tell her why you didn't agree to come with her.]

Neptune still looked unconvinced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look man, I'm not sure if..."

Maine frowned at the blue-haired teen before he sighed. 'Theta?' he contacted the AI in his collar. 'Can you tell me where Weiss is?'

[Already on it!] came the chipper reply. Half a second later, the AI replied, [She's at the far end of the room, sitting on a row of chairs. Why?]

'No reason.' Maine smiled before he took his Scroll back from Neptune. The guy still looked helplessly confused before without warning the blonde rudely slammed his fist into Neptune's gut, knocking the wind out of his sails and grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. Then, with a herculean throw, Neptune was sent flying. Gasps could be heard downstairs, though they were soon followed by laughs and cheers. 'Theta, can you please hack into his Scroll and send him a message for him?'

[Sure. What do you want to send?] Maine told him what to send. Though he couldn't see the AI himself, he could tell Theta was surprised. [Um...is-is that appropriate?]

'No. But it'll stop Neptune from being such a fucking pussy.'

[O...kay. Message sent.]

Maine smiled. 'Thank you, Theta.' The connection faded and Maine was left alone in the balcony. Sighing, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking up at the fractured moon above him. He would assume Neptune would hold this against him. But he'll get over it. He was being a pussy, and needed the extra push. Maine was all too happy to oblige. "...You know. I've seen people smack others to get them into gear...but never like that." Pyrrha said as she made her presence known. He turned around to face her, slightly surprised. Even more so slightly out of breath. Up close, that dress really made her look even more stunning than usual. She looked downright beautiful, even. She gave a small smile as she walked over next to him, looking up at the starry night sky. "Apparently, everyone downstairs thinks he just leaped right off the balcony and perfectly managed to land on a seat right next to Weiss." she told him with a grin. "He looked positively dazed as well."

'Yeah, well...he needed the push.' he told her sheepishly with a grin as he leaned on the railing. 'So, what're you doing out here? Don't tell me the dance is stifling for you too.'

"In all honesty, it kind of is. I just needed some air." She answered. "And how about you?"

'Anxious. Last time I was in a room that packed, everyone had guns aimed at me.'

"Well, I can say with confidence that won't be the case here..."

'I know...but walking in a crowd without a gun makes me feel naked. That I am unprepared. Vulnerable.'

Pyrrha's eyes softened. Gently, she wrapped a hand around his, squeezing it as soft as she possibly could. Maine was surprised by this, but he made no move to pull it away. "Maine-" she stopped for a moment before she shook her head, correcting herself and referring to him by his real name. His birth name. "Jaune... You aren't a soldier anymore. This isn't the UNSC or Project Freelancer. This is Remnant. Your home."

'I know, Pyrrha. I know.' he sighed, lowering his head. 'But, it's still really hard. I don't remember much before I was thrown into Project Freelancer. I'm getting bits and pieces back, but nothing really concrete. I remember I have a family here. A mom, a dad, and seven sisters. And I've got my team. I've got lots of friends. And I've...' He slowly hesitated, the thought bringing a blush to his face. 'I've got you too. I know I have a life here, but it's still so hard to adjust to it. Some days, I wake up, expecting to be in my old suit of armor, Sigma in my head, stcuk as the Meta and killing my friends.'

"But you aren't." Pyrrha stressed. She put her other hand into his, bringing it up to her chest. The action flustered him greatly. In the back of his head, he could faintly hear Church sniggering. "Do you feel that, Jaune? This is proof. Proof that you aren't a soldier anymore. That you're home again. With us."

'With me...' came the unspoken addition. When she realized what she thought, Pyrrha's face burned. Then she realized she put his hand in between her breasts and promptly broke away, both teens turning from one another with flushed cheeks. 'What-what am I doing?! I'm his partner for goodness' sakes!'

'C'mon, Maine! Get a grip on yourself!' the soldier chastized himself. 'What are you?! A school girl?!'

Since when was he ever this flustered?! He can't remember!

But...he felt reassurance from his partner's words. She was right. He was no longer a soldier. This was not Project Freelancer. Sigma was dead and gone. He...he was free from that nightmare.

"Uh...Vomit Boy? Just how long do you plan on acting like a blushing school girl? Man up already." Church chose now to interrupt the moment.

The brute promptly felt his embarrassment fade and shook his head. He glared at the AI, which looked incredibly amused. Pyrrha took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she turned back to her partner. "A-anyway... How are you adjusting back to Beacon? Is it getting any easier?"

'Sort of.' he answered. 'I'm getting back into the hang of things... Hey, can I ask something?' Pyrrha nodded. 'When I have to talk to someone, Alpha usually has to speak for me. And believe me, it gets pretty damn irritating.' He scowled and glared at Church again, who didn't look the least bit ashamed. 'More times than I would like to admit.'

"I regret nothing." Church proudly declared.

Maine scoffed before turning back to Pyrrha, genuinely curious. 'So...how is it that you can understand me so easily?'

It was the question he really wanted to know. Even without Church saying anything, somehow, his friends were able to discern what he was attempting to communicate. It was odd. He wasn't even using sign language. And if they could actually try to understand him through facial expressions, they understood him as if he spoke his intent precisely.

Was he just that easy to read? Or did they just know him that well, despite having only been together for a few months?

Pyrrha smiled widely. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked, causing him to cock his head to the side rather cutely. "It's because we're friends, Jaune. No just partners or people who are on the same team because of convenience. It's also because I've learned to trust you. Because I got to learn more about you." She closed her eyes, remembering the peaceful days of when he was so adorably naive and inexperienced before she opened then again, looking up at the night sky. "By any chance...do you remember that night up on the rooftop? When I told you about how everyone just looked at me as someone who stood on a pedestal?"

'Yeah.' Maine smiled fondly, looking up at the same sky. 'As a matter of fact...it was the memory Alpha showed me to get me back on my feet.'

Pyrrha blushed again, her heart sent fluttering. She feared it would fly out of her chest. She took a breath to calm herself down. "You were the first person to just see me as someone else besides the Invincible Girl, Pyrrha Nikos. In fact, I think you were the only person I know of who just saw me as Pyrrha Nikos, the normal girl." She couldn't help but giggle when she remembered their first meeting: that day in the locker room when he tried to hit on Weiss. "It felt...refreshing. Wonderful. In fact, it was probably one of the happiest moments of my life."

"Quick question." Church interrupted. "Are you turning this into a love confession? If so, I'm out of here."

Maine hissed. 'Alpha, don't be a dick.'

"Just saying." he raised his hands in defense. He then flickered away, vanishing from sight.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes at the self-proclaimed ghost's antics before continuing. "I won't lie. I was actually trying to purposely get you to be my partner. If I had to choose between someone who would just listen to whatever I say, simply because I was the girl who won time after time again and someone who didn't know who I was and could act on their own...I would pick the latter." She grinned, laughing at the sheer absurdity of the idea yet also at how fortunate she had been. "Besides, when we met, you had your eyes set on Weiss."

Maine's jaw became unhinged. His face turned into one of utter horror. 'Please tell me that's a joke.' he begged. 'Please, tell me your joking.'

"I'm afraid not." she smirked at him. "You were head over heels for her."

'No...no no! Nononono! That can't be!' Maine denied it vigorously. 'Just what the hell was I jacked up on to be even remotely attracted to her?!' Was he drugged at that time? That had to be it! Wait, he was underage and this was before the military...Fuck! He was sober and was fully aware he was attracted to Weiss. Double triple fuck! He couldn't help but groan, covering his face into his hands with shame, wishing that he could just go back in time and punch his younger self for even trying to attempt to woo a stuck up girl like that. Sure, Weiss was a thousand times better than South was, but she could be vindictive at times. Just what the hell was he thinking?! Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune, though it was mostly light-hearted and good natured. She missed seeing him so flustered. It was proof that, despite being hardened into a soldier, the person she came to hold dearly was still there.

That fumbling boy who wanted to be a hero was back in her life.

"...I will say this, though." Pyrrha said as she calmed down. "I do miss hearing your voice."

Maine looked up, face still buried in his hands. Slowly, his hands traced his throat - right where the scar on his neck rested. Even to this day, he winced upon remembering how he received this wound. How could he forget. It was nine shots point blank to the throat. And following that, he was hit by a speeding truck and thrown off a highway. But still. A lack of voice made it a hard as hell to communicate. It was also what led to the mess of getting Sigma and the whole Meta shitstorm. But now that he thought about it...He couldn't really remember what he sounded like. He remembered Krimzen telling him that his Aura should be able to heal the damaged vocal cords, though given how long it had been since he last had access to it, it would take a great deal of time for him to heal the wounds. If it was possible. The doctor had made it quite clear that there was a possibility that his cords may not heal at all.

Even so...

'...I'll see what I can do.'

* * *

"Ugh... God, this party is so boring." Church groaned. Unlike usual, he was fully formed into a white-colored armored soldier, standing next to Penny and Tex with his arms crossed. "This would be a whole lot better if I could possess some poor bastard and then bring booze. Hell, I'd spike the freaking eggnog just for some shits and giggles."

Penny tilted her head. "They serve eggnog here?" she inquired. "But it is not winter time yet!"

"Figure of speech, Penny." Texas told her. "And man up, Church." She gave a quick look around the room. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a few students getting a bit too close towards each other. She caught a few hands roaming around in places they shouldn't be. Normally, she wouldn't be so annoyed, but for some reason, she felt greatly irritated. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because she was still trying to get used to this new body of hers? Or was it because she was sexually frustrated? On second thought, she preferred being unused to her body. That last idea sounded stupid and too damn idiotic.

"Oh, please. You're fed up with this as much as I am." Church snarked before he looked at the stage. "Also, who in the hell came up with this shitty music? What's this supposed to be? Acid Jazz?"

Penny smiled. "I believe so. Professor Oobleck chose it himself."

"Well, his taste in music sucks ass." The white-armored AI folded his arms as a light bulb suddenly appeared over his head. A second later, it lit up. If he had a mouth on him, it would have curled into a sinister smile. "Hey, Penny. I remember seeing a soundtrack list while I was in your head. You, uh, mind if I gave it a peek?"

"I have no problem with that." Penny responded with a smile, clearly not seeing any malevolent intentions in Church's otherwise dark demeanor. Texas noticed it, but made no move to stop him as she was genuinely curious to see what he had planned.

Without a second to lose, Church dived into Penny. The girl stumbled a bit as the color of her eyes shifted between cobalt blue to green and back again before settling to their natural color. Inside her head, other than Omega's pitiful whining about wanting to be free from his confines and kill everyone (starting with the professor named Oobleck for choosing this infernal music), she heard Church mumbling to herself.

"Okay, let's see what we've got here. Jump Up, Superstar... Wait, isn't that a Mario song? Eh, whatever. Indestructible? Is Penny a metal rock fan? She didn't look like it. Okay, what else? Shit. Shit. Chick flick music. Big Time Rush? Wasn't that a fake boy band or something? "You're my Best Friend?" What the f-?! This is sung by Caboose! Where the fuck did she get this?! No, wait. On second thought, I don't wanna know! AHA! Here we go!" A moment later, Penny felt her systems warm up rather pleasantly as she felt Church becoming more accustomed to her body. "Hey, Penny. I had this great idea. You know how to sing?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, I do." she said with a wide grin. "Father taught me himself as well as installed a few home videos for me to study."

"You want to give these people one hell of a night show?"

Penny gasped. "B-but I'm not allowed to stand out too much!" she said. In truth, she was incredibly nervous about getting up on stage as well as fearing upsetting the students. She wasn't quite confident in her singing skills yet. "I-I'm not prepared for this!"

"Hey, don't be so nervous. I'm right here with you. Besides, Morning Wood's gotta let you loosen up once in a while, right? Besides, wouldn't it make Ruby happy?"

"She would?" She questioned in curiosity and wonder.

"You bet she will. She loves music. And she would love it if her friend went out there and sang awesome to liven up this boring party." Church said, manipulating the poor girl to fulfill his plot. "So, come on! Live a little! I'll be helping out, every step of the way."

Texas sighed as she watched Penny's face shift through various emotions, each conflicting with one another before she nodded to herself and moved up to the stage. "Oh boy... Something tells me this will end very badly... Or I get a good laugh. Either way, should be fun." She soon gave a shrug and leaned against the column, taking a drink of her punch. Simply because her body was robotic didn't mean she didn't have to worry about parts rusting. She then frowned in distaste. "Ugh. I wish somebody had spiked the punch. Tastes like crap."

Penny walked up to the stage as the band got ready for their next song. She received a few odd stares, but she ignored them and approached a person she was quite familiar with, if only slightly due to her being apart of Atlas. "Pardon, Mister Coal."

The person she was addressing was a young man around the same age as the rest of the students. He was dark-skinned with dark brown eyes. He wore rectangular sunglasses and a dark fedora with a blue trim on his head, as well as an earring on his right ear. He also wore a dark vest over an untucked white dress shirt, with a loose tie wrapped around the collar. Completing his rather classy attire were a pair of dark dress pants, silver dress shoes and a dark glove on his left hand.

Noticing Penny, Flynt Coal smiled. "Well, if it ain't Penny Polendina." he said with a chuckle, lowering his trumpet. "What's up, girl? You digging the music?" Before she could answer, he lifted his hand. "Don't say a word. I know. We're kind of lacking. To be honest, I dunno how in the world that doc thinks this is even remotely Acid Jazz. I KNOW Acid Jazz."

"Actually, I had a good idea." Penny told him, earning his curiosity. Flustered, she twiddled her thumbs together. "If-if you'll let me."

Flynt grinned. "Hey, my ears are always open for a fellow sound bite. Wat'cha need, girl?" Penny then told him her idea as she presented her Scroll, showing the song she had in mind. Flynt looked at it for a moment before he whistled. "Not bad, Penny. Haven't done this little beauty in a while." He then looked up at her as he pulled down his glasses. "You got permission from the General to do this?" Her face told him everything. Strangely, though, it only made his grin grow. "Well, alright then. Let's put some real funk into this graveyard." He gave a small whistle to the band, who focused their attention to him. "Alright, boys! We're changing tunes! Get your butts ready, your mouths steady, and your hands funky~!"

They all nodded. Penny smiled and bowed her head towards the man. "Thank you so much!" she thanked him profusely, though Flynt waved it off. While he was sure he was going to get in trouble, he couldn't pass up a good opportunity like this. Besides, like Church, he was a bit disappointed with the show thus far. It would be nice to spice things up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ironwood look on, surprised to find Penny on stage with the band before a frown crossed his features. Shaking his head and praying for his own safety, he tipped his hat and moved over to the microphone, giving it a small tap and catching the crowd's attention.

Flynt cleared his throat before he spoke up. "Ladies and gents, groovers of Vale, Mistral, Vacuo and from my icy cold home, we've got a small change in plans. We decided to spice up your night with a beautiful gal for the vocals, and a tune guaranteed to get you on the dance floor." he said with a grin. At that moment, Maine and Pyrrha had returned to the party just in time for the show to begin.

Unknown to others, Penny's eyes flashed cobalt blue, circuits whirrling while a grin spread across her face. At that moment, the band began to play. "Huntress gals and Huntsmen bros, Team FNKI and Penny Polendia present... _Signs of Love_ ~!"

The band begun to play a new tune, consisting of an upbeat drum tempo. As Penny approached the lead microphone, the trumpets started to join on the fun. She opened her mouth, and sang.

Then the real party started.

 _ **~Signs of love overshadowed by dreams  
**_ _ **Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone  
**_ _ **Only time running days without nights  
**_ _ **Tears pass through~**_

The result of the new tune had quite the effect. In a few seconds, everyone was either moving along with the tune or back on the dance floor. From up on the second level of the room, where Ruby had moved to be with Yang, she couldn't help but tap her foot along giddily. "Gotta admit." Yang said, clearly appreciating the change in music. "She's got some moves." With a grin, she headed towards the stairs. "You know what? Screw it. I'm jumping in on the action."

"W-wait, what?" Ruby squeaked. "What-what am I supposed to do?"

"Join in on the fun, of course!"

The girl whined. "I told you! I can hardy walk in these death traps! I don't understand how Weiss can fight in them!"

 _ **~He said, "I'm the one who's got to leave"  
**_ _ **I said, "Nobody's really got to leave coz"  
**_ _ **"I don't hear enough explanation"  
**_ _ **"All I need is admiration"  
**_ _ **Big frustration bro he goes,  
**_ _ **"Life is short we gave a shot,  
**_ _ **but didn't work honey coz we had,  
**_ _ **a whole lot going on and on,  
**_ _ **and on..."~**_

Pyrrha clapped her hands, feet tapping along to the beat. "I must say, I never expected Penny to have such a beautiful voice." she said with clear enthusiasm. "It's certainly made the party more lively."

Maine nodded along. Much to his amusement, he found Theta awkwardly dancing along as well up above with Ruby. The girl clearly appreciated the thought since Yang had ditched her for the dance floor. Looking back towards it, he felt a small headrush pass through. It was brief, but a small scene had come to mind that brought a smile to his face. Turning to Pyrrha, he offered her his hand. 'Shall we dance?'

Pyrrha gave him a skeptical, yet challenging look. "You remember how to dance?"

'Only one way to find out!'

Without another word, he took her by the hand and pulled her along. Pyrrha was surprised at his forwardness, but then laughed and ran along with him. As Nora finished off the last of the shot glasses, cheering in victory as her opponent made a mad rush to the bathroom, she caught sight of the two holding hands and heading for the dance floor. Almost immediately, her eyes lit up with excitement. Ren could have sworn he saw stars in her eyes.

"Omigod! Ren! It! _Is_! **_Happening_**!"

"Wait, what is happening-whoa, hey!" Before he could protest further, Nora grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him over to the dance floor.

 _ **~Signs of love overshadows my dreams  
**_ _ **Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone  
**_ _ **Only time running days without nights  
**_ _ **Tears pass through~**_

The duo joined up with Jaune and Pyrrha at the center. The crowd parted to let them take the stage of the dance floor.

And just in time, as Flynt took center stage with a rather impressive trumpet solo.

Jaune had no idea what exactly he was doing. He was letting his muscle memory take over. His team mates followed his lead. Much to everyone's surprise, they broke out into a coordinated dance.

Kick step, kick step, body roll.

Cheers and shouts filled the entire room as a few others tried to join in. Off to the back, Yang and Blake moved together. The Faunus-in-hiding was obviously having trouble keeping herself steady. She was most certainly not used to this sort of dancing. Yang, however, was there every step in the way and keeping her close, all the while grinning and laughing. Sun could only watch with amusement and excitement, seeing the girl break a leg out there and stepping out of her comfort zone. That, and he wasn't going to lie. He found it slightly arousing.

On the other end, Neptune and Weiss had also taken to the dance floor, much to the former's embarrassment. "B-But I told you." he insisted with hesitation. "I don't know how to dance."

Weiss was undeterred and smiled, taking both of his hands into hers. "Then I'll simply just have to teach you."

On the second level above, Ruby and Theta had fallen into their own little awkward dance routine, though neither seemed to care much and were able to enjoy themselves. Down below, Ironwood still looked rather irritated by Penny's actions, but he couldn't help but feel proud of her for taking up the initiative. That, and her singing lessons. "She's quite good." Ozpin remarked as he took a sip of his drink. "A lovely voice."

"You can blame her father for that." Ironwood responded. "Still, I wish she'd be more careful. She's still so young and this is her first time being around so many people. Last thing I want is for people to ostracize her if they discover the truth about her."

"I sincerely doubt it will come to that." Ozpin said with faith. "By the way, where is Delta?"

"He insisted on running programs over at the CTT. Since I couldn't get permission from the Council to install some safety hardware, I decided to..." Ironwood sighed, saying words he never imagined he would be saying. "...take a page from Qrow and work around the rules."

Back at the dance floor, as Flynt started to get into it, body swaying into the motions, the focus of attention turned to Maine and Pyrrha, the two starting to dance like showmen at a rather high-end club.

 _ **~Baby I remembered you have dreams**_  
 _ **That would not to intent by zero**_  
 _ **Cloudy sky overshadowed by rain**_  
 _ **Baby don't cry**_

 _ **All of song repeats my soundless speed**_  
 _ **you have created it again**_  
 _ **countless tears falling down you will see**_  
 _ **signs of love~**_

With the song close to its end, Maine's hands wrapped around Pyrrha's body in various motions. The red-head couldn't believe what he was capable of as she found herself being thrown and spinning around him. As the tempo started to increase and reach the climax, Maine went faster. Suddenly, she found herself spinning in mid-air, heart throbbing before she landed back in Maine's arms, her body once again flowing about before Flynt played the last note, letting it hang in the air. The Invincible Girl then managed to regain her bearings and promptly felt her cheeks heat up when she realized what pose they were in.

Maine held her up with one arm while she was leaning back. Maine himself was leaning forward, their noses barely touching and her arm wrapped around his neck for support. Pyrrha was left utterly breathless, her green eyes staring back at his red ones. She could barely register the roaring claps, cheers and whistles or the excited howls of Nora who shouted gibberish nonsense.

"Where..." she found herself breathing again. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

Maine smirked. 'I remember learning it from my sisters...but the last one I got from York.'

* * *

Of course, in spite of the festive mood at the dance party, no one had even noticed the absence of a single individual. Or to be more specific, only two people noticed their absence but never mentioned it. They felt no need to, nor did they need to.

After all, said individual was at the CTT tower, getting ready for a party of their own.

The elevator doors opened, allowing a woman to step inside. The woman wore an entirely black outfit, consisting of a sleeveless jacket, long gloves, stiletto heel boots, a black glass mask, and several straps with containers of powdered Dust lined across the pants. Her hair was black, flowing down to her shoulders while her amber eyes gave a menacing, yet alluring glow. As she exited the elevator, two unconscious bodies of Atlesian soldiers fell out, dazed or utterly bruised.

"This is almost too easy..." She mused as she sauntered up to the main terminal on the far end of the room. Security was pretty lax due to the festivities. A major error on the School's part. But no matter. It made her job much easier. She pulled out a scroll from her pocket and hooked it up to the main terminal.

As she began to work, the communication piece in her ear spared. "Heads up. The General's had enough fun for tonight. Should we intervene?"

The woman smirked as a series of numbers formed across the screen before they formed into what appeared to be a chess piece. "No need." she told her friends as she stepped away, watching the other consoles starting to light up. "We've got everything we need for the bash." She then grabbed her Scroll from the terminal, severing the connection and leaving behind a little "gift" for the computer to process. Just as she backed away, she heard the elevator doors opening. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder and found someone she didn't expect to see so soon.

Ruby Rose, the silver-eyed girl, with her scythe in hand.

"Who are you?!" She demanded. She no doubt noticed the unconscious guards and established the connection.

Cinder remained silent. Merely forging a black bow out of Dust and three arrows nocked and ready to fire. Quickly, Ruby defended and spun her scythe around, cutting down the arrows with ease. With a twirl, she slammed her scythe into the ground and fired several rounds, only for the woman's bow to separate into blades and swiftly cut each bullet down. Without missing a beat, she took out one of the Dust containers and popped it open, creating icicles and sending them flying straight at her. Ruby pulled her scythe out and used the recoil of a shot to propel her away, landing safely away. She stumbled a bit, her ankles nearly twisting in the wrong direction. She looked up to find the woman smiling at her, eyes burning sinisterly.

Somehow, the sight seemed familiar to Ruby. She could have sworn she's seen this woman before, but where? Then she remembered.

"You!" she gritted her teeth. "You were with Roman at the shop robbery!"

The woman smirked. However, just before she could act, the elevator doors opened again, catching their attention. Ruby looked over her shoulder and promptly found Ironwood standing there, face impassive for only a moment before they narrowed sharply at the sight before him. Ruby quickly turned her head back to the woman, only to find her gone from sight.

"Ah, fudge baskets..." she moaned as she folded her weapon.

Slowly, Ironwood stepped out from the elevator. "...would you mind explaining what happened here?"

"Um, I-Ironwood, sir, I can explain-!"

The man held up a hand. "Not you, Ruby." he told her politely before turning to the console. "Delta. Report."

Ruby's eyes widened as he looked at the console the woman was at earlier. Appearing above it was none other than the green-armored AI Fragment of Logic. _[An unknown assailant incapacitated several security guards and attempted to input a command into the console.]_ he answered. _[Ruby attempted to apprehend her, though she escaped.]_

"I see...and what did she try to input?"

Rather than speak, Delta waved a hand, bringing up a holographic image of what appeared to be a chess piece. One Ruby recognized from Initiation. "A Queen chess piece?" she asked, confused as she looked at Ironwood for answers, only to find the Headmaster of Atlas Academy with a hardened look on his face, teeth bared in barley contained anger. Especially when Delta presented another image that was shown alongside the chess piece. It was barely noticable at first, but it was most certainly there.

A stylized "W."

"Watts..."

* * *

 _A response to Headmaster Ozpin from General James Ironwood_

 _Oz,_

 _I understand your reservations, but the fleet is necessary. I am fully aware that we are in times of peace, but even you are also aware of how much danger lurks underneath that peace. We cannot stand idly by, waiting for Salem to act. Or, heavens forbid, Queen to act.  
_ _Often times, it is necessary for us to act first. Even if my actions may come across as a show of force, we need simply more than a few Huntsman.  
_ _That is why I worked to gain clearance from the Council to bring the fleet over to Vale for the duration of the festival. They will only act as security detail, nothing more I assure you. Furthermore, I have yet to receive an answer from Jaune Arc about my offer. I will classify this action as his refusal to take up the armor. I will abide by his decision and not force him into a role that once broke him.  
_ _It is a shame that we do not have a suitable candidate for the STRIKER, but it cannot be helped. Even so, there is another matter._  
 _Particularly regarding Teams RWBY and JNPR..._  
 _It is about those reports I received about those teams being involved in the runaway Atlesian Paladin Prototype on the highway. While I commend them for taking action and putting a stop to it rampage, they were reckless in their actions. Furthermore, Penny has informed me of the nature of their expedition, about how they attempted to uncover Roman Torchwick's affiliations with the White Fang and their plans._  
 _They're too reckless. If they aren't careful, they'll get themselves killed. Or worse._  
 _But... There is potential for them._  
 _I'd like to talk to you in depth in person about the matter._  
 _See you soon, old friend._

 **A/N** : Well, this chapter is longer than intended, but since it covers my all-time favorite episode in the whole damn series, save for the first episode of Volume 5 for an entirely other reason, I will justify it. Plus, as you can see, canon is officially starting to deviate. Now, before I get into the nitty gritty, let's talk about some minor changes.

First off, Ironwood. I've always felt people portrayed him as too overbearing or often overreacted. Granted, the man knows about shit that would scare you to death, but still, there is too much and then there is what he does. I wanted to portray Ironwood was the sort of man who still has his human qualities, but is still far too overprotective in regards to certain matters. As you can see in his interactions with Maine, he knows better than to try to force him into working for him. He knows what he is capable of, and what caused him to develop those skills. This chapter is fully meant to realize that picture as he isn't forcing Maine to jump back into the fire. He's just giving him the option. It's a simple yes or no with no negative consequence.

Secondly, Maine/Jaune himself. People have been telling me, "hey, what happened to his soldier instincts? Why isn't he being more overbearing or attentive to his surroundings?" As of this chapter, and from what happened last chapter, people will no doubt be raising the pitchforks. Let me explain as to why I've done this. Maine/Jaune is still coping with what's happened. He's slowly, but surely, starting to become accustomed to his old life again. The life he had forgotten and is finally reliving. It's why he's been trying to bury his old soldier self, but as we all know, it isn't all that simple. Once you've learned something, it becomes difficult to forget it. In his case, especially after fighting Torchwick, and more recently Mercury, he knows he needs to get stronger. Back to where he used to be. And he is definitely going to need it for what I have planned while Team RWBY is at Mountain Glenn.

Thirdly, Theta. The child-like AI. The cliffhanger more or less left people under the impression that he would have been utterly PISSED at Maine/Jaune for taking North away from him. However, you must remember that Theta is also the Alpha's Trust. Each Fragment has a specific emotion. They develop other emotions, like Epsilon himself who is more or less a less-than-complete Alpha, or Delta who, in spite of being Alpha's logic, developed a comradery with York and trusted him explicitly. In this case, Theta would develop other emotions, but he is the Alpha's Trust. He would want to try and trust others, even if he has reservations. The real problem is that while Theta is willing to trust Maine/Jaune, the latter isn't willing to trust himself. Especially since he's still dealing with the side-effects of being mindfucked by Sigma.

With that out of the way...let's move on to the highlight of the chapter. The ending with Delta. C'mon. Be honest. Did you honestly think that our favorite little green dude was just here for show? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shame on you. He is here for a reason. Hell, I've had this scene planned out in my head ever since I started this damn story! Mark my words, Cinder Fall's plans are going to be crumbling fast and canon will be flipping on its head in unexpected ways! I'm not going to deviate too much, but I won't get into spoilers either. I can't spoil everything for you all.

And...I think that's it really. Oh, wait. The moment with Pyrrha and Jaune/Maine. As an Arkos fan, I'm sure my brothers and sisters were also squealing by what they saw! I would like to point out, however, that at this time, their relationship isn't romantic. Right now, Jaune/Maine is broken. Pyrrha is trying to pick up the pieces and put them back together. His decision to try and undergo speech therapy is just a step in the right direction. That, and as much as it is, having Church translate for him, it...it honestly becomes a bit too tiresome. By Volume 3, Jaune/Maine will somewhat be able to talk again. Just not fully.

He's got to figure out how to use his Aura more properly, after all.

I think that's all of it now. If you liked this chapter, please tell me what you all thought in your reviews. For newcomers who've binge-read this, if you enjoyed it, please favorite and/or follow this story to be further notified when this story gets updated and-

Oh, you know what? Fuck that. I sound like a goddamn Youtuber! Just review the chapter and tell me what you think!

Later losers, and I'll see you next chapter!


	17. Volume 2: Chapter VI

_A letter from the Vale Council to Professor Ozpin  
_

 _Dear Ozpin,_

 _We're pleased to announce that your suggestion in regards to the security of this year's Vytal Festival by requesting the aid of Atlas Military has been successfully approved. If we might be honest, we had not expected you to suggest this motion, though we are not displeased by it.  
That being said, we are slightly concerned about the idea of merely sending in human troops. Would it not be better to acquire the aid of Atlesian Knights and Paladins? Surely, automations would serve as a better security force?_

* * *

 **RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 **"Metastability"**

* * *

Chapter VI: Heavy Metal and Heavy Fists

The following morning had been one that Ozpin was not expecting. Currently, the Headmaster, alongside Glynda and Ironwood stood in the office with the general's scroll open. Projected from it was Delta, accompanied by a stylized letter. One that brought forth a troubled stare from the old man as he leaned back in his chair, hands folded.

"Someone attempted to hack into the CTT?!" Glynda shouted in surprise. Not that either man could blame her. In all these years, never once has someone attempted to hack into the towers that provided the only and greatest means of communication between the kingdoms. The fact that someone had attempted to do so was unheard of. "Who in the world would do that?"

"Someone we know very well." Ironwood answered grimly before he looked at Ozpin. "Oz, I know you've said that the army outside is nothing but an eyesore, let alone a unnerving sight, but-"

Ozpin held up a hand. "No need for that. If that signature does belong to Watts, then I'm afraid there's use for that army after all."

"Watts?" Glynda frowned. "You know who did this?"

 _[Arthur Watts was a scientific genius that was highly regarded in Atlas for his many exploits and pioneering.]_ Delta responded, bringing up a profile of the man up. The picture attached to the profile showed a man with a slim build and slightly tanned skin, green eyes and short black-and-gray hair, as well as a mustache. _[Known by many as the Father of the Knights and Paladin, he developed the blueprints that would one day become the most advanced military androids in the Kingdom. However, due an incident during a test collaboration between Watts and another scientist named Merlot, he was discredited and discharged, as well as exiled.]_

"Ever since then, he fell off the radar and we have been unable to find any trace of him. Until now that is..." Ironwood said.

"So...it would be safe to assume that Watts had come in contact with Salem and joined her forces."

Ozpin frowned heavily. "This does not bode well..." he said, tension creeping into his voice. "Watts was one of the most brilliant minds in all of Remnant. If he has thrown his lot in with Salem... I can scarcely imagine what she will be capable of. Still, to think he would be able to create a virus that would have infiltrated and taken control of the CTT tower!"

"We should be thankful that Delta was present and prevented the hack from being successful." Glynda remarked. "Though I suppose credit also goes to Mr. Arc, given that he is technically partially responsible for his being here."

 _[Regarding that matter, there was something else I noticed when the infiltrator attempted to implement the virus into the command console.]_ Delta chimed, bringing all attention to him. _[It seems that, besides the virus, they also attempted to obtain information about the records of two members of Beacon's faculty. Specifically, information on Agent Texas and Agent Arc.]_

Ironwood frowned heavily. It didn't take a genius to know why they had tried to get those records. Slowly, he turned to Ozpin. "They know."

"Of that, we can't be sure." Ozpin shook his head. "However, they are most definitely suspicious. A student thought long gone reappears here at Beacon, along with a new teacher, one who is a decorated officer and former Specialist?" He leaned back, folding his hands before closing his eyes, as if to ponder the situation before he opened them again and turned to the Headmistress. "Glynda, please contact Qrow. Tell him to return to Vale immediately. I'm putting his mission on hold for now."

Glynda nodded. "Yes, sir." Immediately, she opened up her Scroll to bring up communications.

"So then..." the general pondered aloud. "Since our opponent has made their move... What do we do next?"

"First, the waiting game, old friend. And then, the counter attack. We must plan this one carefully..."

* * *

"When I heard you were taking therapy, I had thought Professor Oobleck was joking." Krimzen Reed said with a smile as Maine sat in the chair opposite to his, Church and Theta on either side of him. "So then, what brought this on?"

"To put it simply, doc?" Church scoffed. "He's sick of me translating for him, and he promised his girlfriend that he'd try to get his vocal chords back in working order." He then turned to the blonde and folded his arms. "Also, why am I here again? I could be spending my time, tormenting Red back in her room! Or hell, fuck around with Ice Queen, maybe expose a selfie or two she might have taken."

'It's because I still need you as my communicator, genius.' Maine commented sarcastically. 'I still can't aoeak, so I need you here to talk.'

"Well, okay then. Hey, Doc! Vomit Boy says you're an asshole and you deserve to-" Maine growled and tried to slap him, only for his hand to phase through. "In case you forgot, I'm still a hologram, numbnuts."

'Asshole!'

Theta rubbed the back of his neck before bowing apologetically. "I'm really sorry. They like to argue."

"Oh, no need to apologize. Hardships build character, or so they say." Krimzen smiled warmly, taking a seat at his desk. "Perhaps you would have better use of Theta being your translator, Mr. Arc."

"Actually, he prefers Maine." Theta added helpfully.

"Very well. Maine it is."

'Thanks. At least Theta is polite.'

"Oh fuck you, asshole!"

'Takes one to know one.'

The two glared daggers at one another until Krimen coughed into his hand. "Gentlemen. No fighting in the office." he said politely. Church huffed and promptly vanished, no doubt either ready to take a nap or to fulfill his words and bug Team RWBY. "Now then... As I'm sure you are well aware, the damage done to your throat is quite severe. Honestly, it is a miracle you even survived such an injury. Normally, your Aura would have healed it right up, but whatever the Director had done had forced it to go dormant. Now, however, you have access to it again, isn't that right?"

"Yep." Theta translated for Maine, who nodded. "I got it back when I woke up after what happened in Forever Fall. But, if aura heals damage, how come my throat is still so fucked up?"

"You've had to deal with that injury for years, but you've learned to adapt to it. It was an obstacle you managed to overcome. When you regained your Aura, your mind thought it was of no consequence to heal it. If you want to heal the damage done, you need to focus your Aura around your throat." Krimzen paused briefly. "Of course, that is easier said than done. It is harder to heal a wound you've had to deal with for most of your life than heal a wound you've only recently gained."

"So, I just have to work on it?"

"Yes. But like I said, it will be difficult since it's a wound that's has been scarred over for years."

Krimzen told him. "And that is not even going into the sessions to get your vocal chords back into working order. After all, you haven't used them in several years, so they're going to be quite rough." The old man then smiled. "Of course, that's why I'm here. Aside from mental health care, I also help students who've suffered injuries that their Auras can't usually heal. Though I will admit, I've never encountered a case quite like yours before. Now, onto business. When did you wish to begin your sessions?"

"As early as possible!" Theta relayed.

"Then let us begin, shall we?"

* * *

"Yo! I came to-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CTT WAS ATTACKED?!"

"-annoy...you guys..." Church trailed off when he found Wiess on her feet, chair knocked over with an incredulous expression while Ruby stood in front of her rather awkwardly, rubbing her index fingers together while the other two females watched on with curious expressions. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No." Yang shrugged. "You're on time for the drama."

"W-well, I was going to tell you last night, but I was really tired and I-"

"No. Stop right there!" Weiss all but demanded. "H-how?! How did someone attack the CTT tower?! It should have been heavily guarded!"

"Yeah, um. Sorry. I just got here and I have no idea what the hell's going on." Church said as he looked at Team RWBY for answers. "What's going on right now?"

"Ruby just told us that last night, someone tried to hack into the CCT while the dance was going on. She saw a woman trying to upload something, but Delta stopped it from uploading after she left."

"...seriously. Does shit get drawn to you guys like a magnet or something?"

"I don't know! I was just trying by to stop a suspicious person from doing whatever it was they were trying to do!"

Ruby protested weakly. Though, now that Church had said it, the girls couldn't help but think that he had a point. Ruby had encountered Roman Torchwick, who then appeared before them with the White Fang when Blake went to investigate by herself, and then there was the events that occurred not too long ago on the highway when he revealed to have possessed an Altesian Paladin in his arsenal. And then there was last night with Ruby at the CTT. Were they really magnets for trouble or something? Or was it just by being associated with Ruby?

"...yeah, I'm gonna call it now. You're cursed or something, Red." Church blandly commented.

Ruby spluttered. "W-what?!" she cried with large eyes. "Cursed?! I can't be cursed! I haven't done anything to make a gypsy angry at me!"

"It's fine, Ruby." Yang patted her sister on the head. "It's just little blue messing with you. Anyway, what did happen at the CTT, anyway?"

"Like I just said, I saw someone going on and when I went after them, I saw unconscious guards out front. So, I went in and I found her at some computer." the silver-eyed girl answered with a pout. "But she got away. Delta said she tried to do something. Install a virus, I think?"

Weiss frowned heavily. "Install a virus?" she questioned. "Who would be idiotic enough to try and implant a virus into the CTT? The security firewalls are one of the best defensive programs ever designed! You'd have to be a genius to even try and hack into it!"

"And yet Delta managed to hack into the CTT like it was nothing." Blake brought up, making Weiss frown in displeasure at the reminder. "And do you really have to ask who would do that?"

"You think it was the White Fang?" Ruby asked. Blake nodded. The girl cocked her head. "I...think that might be right. She was there when Ms. Goodwitch showed up and tried to arrest Torchwick that night. Maybe she's his right hand? Oh! Or maybe she's the boss!"

"Really? I find it hard to believe that someone as notorious as Torchwick would simply bow his head for someone else."

Church crossed his arms. "Does it really matter if he's got a boss?"

"It could. Anyway, what're you doing here?"

"Bugging you guys, since Vomit Boy's with the doc trying to get his throat back in working order."

"Wait, Jaune's getting his throat fixed? Is he gonna be able to talk again?!"

At this prospect, excitement swelled. It had been so long since they've heard his voice, aside from viewing his memories. Church was nonplussed and merely waved it off. "Hell if I know. I bolted when he decided to have Theta translate for him." His form flickered for a moment, causing everyone to stare at him curiously while Church himself looked visibly confused. "The fuck...?"

"What's wrong?"

"I...think I got a message from Tex." he confessed, albeit sounding very confused. "Since when can she...? You know what? Never mind. Looks like General Ironpuss and the Wizard of Oz wants to see you, Red. Something 'bout last night?"

"He must want to talk to you about what happened in the CCT." Blake clarified.

"Me? A-alone?"

Ruby felt nervous. Being called into the Headmaster's office was nerve wracking enough, but with General Ironwood there too? He was, like, three Goodwich's in one! She could barely handle the woman by herself! Sucking a breath, she let out a sigh and hanged her head, nodding as she headed out the room. "See you guys later..." she moaned, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Unknown to her, though, Ruby had not been the only one called into the Headmaster's Office. Maine was forced to wrap up their session early and left in a somewhat foul mood, evident by how he rubbed his throat. "Damn, you look pissed." Texas remarked as she walked beside him. "What? You turned into a girl and started your period or something?"

'Fuck off.'

"Um..." Theta stammered. "I, uh, don't think I should repeat that..."

"Don't worry about it, Theta. I think I got what he wanted to say..." Tex shook her head. "And lighten up, Maine. It was a joke. Besides, Pyrrha already told me about how you were planning on going to therapy to get your throat fixed."

Maine blinked. Pyrrha had told her that? When was this? As far as he knew, the two had almost never interacted, at least not outside of Combat Class. It was hardly a secret that the blonde bruiser had taken a liking to the Mistral Champion for whatever reason, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was a bad thing or not. Namely, due to the fact that she often tested the limits of what Pyrrha could do by having her taken on multiple opponents at once, as was the case with Team CRDL. And not too long ago, she had her take on Nora, Yang, a second year student named Yatsuhashi and Weiss herself. And Pyrrha, strangely, enjoyed the challenge. He could never mistake that grin of excitement on her face as she was somehow pushed to the brink.

Given her history, she must have felt excited by the prospect of being defeated for the first time, or at the very least given an actual challenge.

"She told me about it not too long ago." She informed him. "She seemed pretty excited by the prospect. Heck, even I can't remember what you sounded like."

'Yeah, well... You and me both.'

They entered the elevator shortly after. Texas pushed the button, letting the doors close. Soon, the elevator began to move upwards. "So, what do you think Ironwood asked us for?" she asked as she leaned against the wall. "Any chance he's gonna try and ask you 'bout the suit thing again?"

"About that..." Theta looked at Maine curiously. "Why don't want to work with the General? I mean... He seems a lot nicer than the Director.".

'Maybe, but I don't trust that guy. He may seem better than the Director, but something about him doesn't seem right. I mean, he brought a fucking armada with him to what is supposed to be a visit between schools for the Vytal Festival, and claimed it be security. Not to mention he offered my some experimental armor to me based on my old suit and expected me to follow like a soldier!'

"But...he said it was optional..."

'The look in his eye said otherwise. He was hoping I said yes.'

That, and Maine was having a hard time deciding whether or not he could trust a high ranking military official. After what happened with Sigma and the Director, it would be a very long time before he could trust someone with a badge and a gun. Besides, for all he knew, the General had other ideas in mind for him once he wore that armor.

"Well, whatever the old man has in mind for us, I suppose we'll hear it from him." Texas shrugged. The elevator stopped, doors sliding open and allowing them to step out. When they entered Ozpin's office, Glynda Goodwitch was present as they had expected with Ozpin at the desk. Ironwood was there as well, much to Maine's annoyance. However, what neither of them expected to find was Ruby there as well, standing in front of the adults. "What the...? Rose? The hell're you doing here?"

Ruby jumped, whirling around to find Texas and Maine standing behind her. "O-Oh! Miss Goodwitch-I mean Miss Texwitch-no! I mean, haaaah...!"

"Deep breaths, Ruby." Ozpin called from his desk with a smile of amusement. "Deep breaths. I'm glad the two of you could make it. We were just finishing up our discussion with Ruby in regards to last night's events."

Maine raised an eyebrow. "Last night?" Theta questioned with him, tilting his head. "What happened?"

"Someone had attempted to hack into the Continental Transmit Tower and insert a virus into the system." Ironwood answered, surprising both of them. "Were it not for Delta, they would have succeeded. We were asking Ruby if she remembered anything about the assailant or what she said."

"Was I...of any help?" Ruby asked.

Glynda nodded, smiling thinly. "Yes, Miss Rose. You were. You can return to your team now." Ruby smiled and bounced off, waving Maine goodbye on her way out. Once the elevator doors closed, all attention was directed at the two former Freelancers. "I suppose you're wondering why we called the two of you here."

"Well, no shit." Texas snorted. "Is it our birthday or something and somebody forgot to tell us?"

"Unfortunately no. If there were, we would have cake prepared." Ozpin shook his head in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "To simplify things, we would like to speak with you regarding this security breach."

"Did you find anything?"

"Apparently, the culprit was trying to uncover information on the two of you."

That certainly put the two on edge. Immediately, Maine's eyes narrowed dangerously, red eyes flickering with the former self of the Meta's brutality nearly coming to the surface. A low growl rumbled from his throat, which sounded more like the warning sign of a predator about to strike. Texas, while remaining straight-faced, had looked quite tense by the way her shoulders seemed to lock up.

"Any idea why?" she asked sharply. "Do they know we're former Freelancer agents?"

"It doesn't seem to be the case." Ironwood shook his head. "However, they obviously suspect something. Up until a few months ago, Agent Texas, you didn't exist in Remnant. And Jaune Arc was missing for a month. The fact that the two of you appeared, almost simultaneously, is enough to warrant suspicion."

"Additionally, from what Delta was able to uncover, the one responsible for the creation of the virus was the former leading figure in Atlas' scientific department. Arthur Watts. A genius of the likes of which this generation has never seen. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances regarding his...unorthodox experiments, he was discharged and then exiled from Atlas."

"So, what?" Texas huffed. "He made a virus to get back at you guys or something?"

Ironwood, surprisingly, snorted. "Harldy." he spat with venom in his voice. "Watts is a man driven by the pursuit of science, and what he does, he does to explore its many mysteries, regardless of the consequences." There was a dark look in Ironwood's eyes, his hands tightening behind his back. "Even if he has to sacrifice human lives to pursue those mysteries."

"In other words..." Theta translated for Maine, who put a hand on his hip as he stared at Ironwood. "He's a mad scientist?"

"He's certainly close to that point, but I would like to believe that there is some humanity left in that man somewhere." Ozpin said, albeit with uncertainty. "Or, at the very least, I pray he does. Regardless, the fact that he's now working with Roman Torchwick and that woman has raised several causes of concern. Especially if he is working for our enemy."

Texas narrowed her eyes. "Enemy?"

The General closed his eyes. "We...can't disclose everything to you." he said. Maine raised an eyebrow. Either his senses had taken a leave of absence, or did the man actually sound troubled? "Not yet. What we can tell you, however, is that despite what the Council and others may tell you, behind this era of peace is someone who will do whatever it takes to bring it tumbling down."

'...the same words the Director used.' Maine noted, staring at Ironwood with scrutiny. 'But...at least he's more forthcoming. Even if he's not telling us everything, he's telling us something.'

[See?] Theta chimed opptimistically via a private line. [We can trust him, can't we?]

'Not yet I can't.'

"What is it with military asshats and their secrets?" Texas scoffed, shaking her head. "Fine, whatever... So, bottom line is, someone wants to know who we are and if we're a threat. And we should keep our heads down, right?"

"Yes...is what I would say under normal circumstances..."

The two stared at one another before they looked at Ozpin in confusion. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean to say is that officially, both of you will remain under the radar and continue business as usual. However, there are other matters you may be interested in looking into."

"Such as...?"

"It has recently come to our attention that suspicious activity has been taking place in the Southeast of Vale." Ozpin continued.

Maine frowned heavily. "You mean, like what Ironwood talked about last time?" Theta questioned. "Is that Desagra person you mentioned acting out?"

"That, and more." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "You see, the students from all the Kingdoms will be participating in events meant specifically for them to shadow Huntsmen from different fields. Police work, agriculture, special operations and the like."

"And they leave..." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Today. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but according to reports, there have been sightings of White Fang soldiers in the Southeast. The Council sent two active Huntsmen to investigate."

"...let me guess." Texas said in a low whisper. "They didn't come back?"

"Correct." Ironwood nodded grimly. "It would be safe to assume that they have been compromised and held hostage...or worse..."

"Then why don't you just send your soldier boys out there to go get 'em?" Texas asked. "You've got a fucking armada hanging out in front of Vale's backdoor for christ's sake!"

"Believe me, I was thinking of the same thing, but a certain someone..." Ironwood glanced at Glynda. "...emphasized that a situation such as this requires subtlety. If I had sent my ships to raid a base in the South East, it would garner immediate attention and could result in extreme retaliation."

"And the last thing we need is more casualties." Ozpin said calmly, folding his hands. "This requires a more...delicate approach."

Maine scoffed. "So, you want us to take care of it?" Theta relayed. "Because we do the job best?"

"That...and I have a favor to ask the both of you." Ozpin took out his Scroll, inputting a few commands before he set it down on the table. Seconds later, an image was displayed, one that surprised both former Freelancers. "I'd like for the both of you to investigate this."

"...what the actual fuck?!"

Displayed before them was an image. It was nothing they had not seen before, given their history. Soldiers, those being White Fang, moving about and moving cargo. Judging by the background, the picture had obviously been a recon photograph, as it was set in what looked to be their base of operations or somewhere close by. Several crates and vehicles were scattered about. The most prominent feature of the photograph, however, were the assortment of cages: all of which containing familiar black creatures with ivory masks and glowing red eyes.

"T-they're..." Theta whimpered. "They're capturing Grimm?"

"How the fuck is that even possible?" Texas asked, startled. "I thought you assholes said that if a Grimm gets captured, it kills itself!"

"That is normally the case, which is why this revelation is so disturbing. Somehow, they are capturing Grimm successfully and keep them intact. As for what their purpose is, we do not know. But it can be anything but good. There's also the matter of the marking on the cages in which the Grimm are being held in." Ozpin enhanced the image, zooming in on one of the markers labeled on one of the crates. Printed on the side was a stylized M. "That insignia was the logo of a now defunct corporation that was partially responsible for the events that transpired at Mountain Glenn."

"Wait, you're saying some corporation was responsible for the failure of a Kingdom expansion?" Theta translated for Maine, who recalled Mount Glenn from his recent studies.

"Indeed. It was due to the Merlot Industries machinations with Grimm studies that inconsequentially led to Grimm overrunning the territory."

"And as it just so happens, the head of the company, Augustine Merlot, was also a business partner of Watts." Ironwood added with a grimace. "Though when you compare the two, Merlot is arguably worse. He's always had an unhealthy obsession for the Grimm, developing ways to try and capture a live specimen in order to study it. I can't tell you how long we've tried to study the Grimm ourselves and learn everything there was to know about our enemy, but any specimen we obtained soon perished after it was captured. However, Merlot didn't want to study the Grimm to learn their weaknesses. He want to study them in order to IMPROVE them. Make them into tools for humans to use."

"And let me guess..." Texas rolled her eyes. "One of his experiments went wrong, and the next thing you know, boom. Mountain Glenn is overrun with Grimm like a Jurassic Park film reenactment."

"I...do not know what that is supposed to mean, but the first part of you statement is correct." Ironwood said, unfamiliar with the blockbuster movie. "His experiments grew out of control and started attacking Mount Glenn's inhabitants. As a result, their panic and fear attracted even more Grimm outside the settlement."

"And the rest, as they say, is history." Ozpin finished with a heavy sigh. "After Mountain Glenn's fall, Merlot Industries were sued and promptly shut down. Merlot himself, however, disappeared without a trace. We had thought the man to be missing...at least, until we discovered his equipment being used by the White Fang. Watts' involvement is bad enough. If Merlot is also involved... I shudder to think what the White Fang would be capable of."

"So, bottom line." Maine said, translated by Theta as he hissed. "You want us to go in, take out the White Fang and see if Merlot is involved. That it?"

"Correct."

"And if we refuse?"

The tension in the room was thick. Ironwood and Glynda looked on in worry. The glare Maine was giving Ozpin would have terrified lesser men or they would have died of fright on the spot. He was not most men, however. Ozpin stared back, unflinching as he calmly took a drink of his coffee before he delivered his response.

"If you refuse, then the matter will remain unsolved. As a result, we will remain unaware of the White Fang's agenda. Furthermore, should the worse case scenario happen and the White Fang led an assault armed with whatever monstrosities Merlot has armed them with, we will be severely unprepared to handle the situation."

It was simple and straight to the point. No lie to be found. Yet, somehow, Maine could hear the underlying, unsaid words.

 _"People will die, and the worst case scenario can, and will happen."_

Maine didn't care about lives. Even when he was in Project Freelancer, he wasn't fighting to save humanity. He was doing his job. He was a soldier, and he was fighting because he was ordered to fight. But, more importantly, he was fighting to protect his family. Project Freelancer. Carolina. York. North. Washington. Florida. Everyone. By all rights, there was absolutely no reason for him to even accept this mission.

Yet...

 ** _-a city laid waste in ruin. Fire spreading all across the landscape. Death and destruction, hand in hand, reigned as far as the eye could see. Littered across the ground, piled among the towers of rubble, were corpses. Broken. Bent. Destroyed. Mangled. All save for one, a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair, a broken shield lying not far from her-_**

He blinked, shaking his head profusely. The image remained planted in his head, as if telling him what would happen. He stared at Ozpin, hoping that if he glared hard enough, the man would burst into flames and die. Then, after a period of silence, with Texas staring at him expectantly, he closed his eyes and sighed.

Maybe this was how Jaune Arc felt in the past.

* * *

"Yo, little sis. How did everything go?"

Ruby sighed. "Kind of terrifying. General Ironwood is so intimidating up close..."

"But I guess everything worked out in the end, right?"

"I guess...although, I was surprised that Jaune and Texas came in when I was about done."

Church cocked his head. "Wait, seriously?" he asked. "Why'd General Ironpuss ask for them?"

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask."

"Well, whatever they wanted from them, I'm sure it will all work out." Yang reassured her. "Oh that's right! I got something to show you!" She picked up a tube package from the table.

"What's that?"

"Dunno. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!"

Ruby promptly squealed. "Ooooh! Something from home!" she cried before she latched herself onto Yang, trying to take the tube and see what was inside for herself.

Yang kept it out of arm's length before she gave it a shake, which caused the cap to come undone. Then, something black fell out of the tube, bouncing on the floor. It twitched, and then proceeded to unfurl itself-

"...what the fuck?" Church asked, completely thrown for a loop. For a moment, he thought his brain short circuited and tapped his helmet to see if his sight was still working. "No, seriously. What the actual fuck? H-how? What?"

The reason behind his flabberghasted state, you might wonder? Said object that had been inside the tub turned out to be a dog: a corgi, to be exact, covered in black and white fur with large beady eyes and a wide grin that exposed all of its molars, and a rather fine tail. For a moment, all of Team RWBY stared at it, as if still processing what was in front of them before-

 _"ZWEI!"_

With a squeal, Ruby dashed forward and picked up the corgi, nuzzling it up against her face while it barked happily, dragging its tongue along her cheek. "He sent you a dog?!" Weiss gawked in disbelief.

"In the mail?!" Blake hissed as she leaped into the air, taking refuge atop her bunk bed and eyeing the creature warily as if afraid it would leap out and attack her.

While Zeei affectionately licked Ruby, Yang explained. "Oh he does stuff like this all the time."

"Your father or your dog?" Blake questioned.

"How. The fuck. Is this even possible?" The AI still couldn't comprehend this. Seriously! Who sticks a mutt in a tube and mails them to their daughters in a boarding school to kill monsters?!

...huh. Never thought he would've thought of that.

"A-and how the hell is that dog even still alive? Shouldn't he have gotten squished in that tiny tube thing? And more importantly, how long was he even in that?!"

"Aura." came the simple (yet also bullshit) answer from the girls. Meanwhile, Weiss leaned forward and observed the dog with some level of scrutiny, if questioning its presence with some disdain.

"You mean to say this mangy..." Zwei stared at Weiss. "...drooling..." Continue staring... "Mutt...is going to wive with us fowever? Oh yes he is, yes he is..." Her tone took a 180 and she was now cooing the adorable corgi.

Church stared at Weiss for a moment before shaking his head. "Not touching that one." he said flatly. "Well, you guys have fun hanging out with your disgusting, four-legged and furry pet. I'm gonna go see if Vomit Boy and Tex are done with General Ironpuss yet."

"Bye, Church!"

"Later, Red." he waved back before his form flickered and disappeared.

* * *

"Yo. I'm back, so what are you guys-?"

"Fine. We'll do it." Theta translated for Maine, who appeared begrudging.

"Ah, hell. What did you guys agree to this time?!"

"Ah, Mr. Church. Glad you could join us." Ozpin smiled while Ironwood looked surprised by his presence. Of course, he had also been surprised and secretly happy that Maine had agreed to their request. "We were discussing recent events that have transpired that required attention. Would you care to join us?"

"Ugh, no thanks. I'm pretty sure I'll figure out what the hell I'm being dragged along for." Church grunted before he turned to Maine. "And give a guy a little warning before you go and decide to get shot at. Just cause I'm a ghost doesn't mean I like having guns point at me."

The blonde huffed. 'Bet your time at Blood Gulch must have been stressing.'

"Only because of Caboose and O'Malley!" he retorted before pausing, looking at Ironwood. "Speaking of Omega, Penny cracked him yet?"

"Unfortunately, not yet. Omega has proven himself to be increasingly stubborn."

"Damn. Was hoping he'd go crazy by now, what with all the cuteness and rainbows and unicorns and shit."

"Eh. I give it a week before he snaps." Texas shrugged.

"I'll take that action."

"At any rate..." Ozpin stood up from his desk. "I believe business has been concluded."

"When do we leave?" Theta asked for Maine.

"Immediately. James will be preparing you a Bulkhead." he told them, much to Maine's annoyance. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have students to address in regards for their newest activities."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Maine and Texas had arrived on the Bulkhead, which was Atlas issued. Compared to the ones from Vale, it was slightly smaller but heavily armored, coated in white paint with mounted turrets on either side. The interior wasn't too different, save for a few crates of Dust and ammunition and whatnot.

There was one thing that had Maine slightly miffed. And it was in front of him, presented inside a large metal suitcase with several locks. "The General insisted that this was given to you." a female soldier told him as she undid the locks, revealing pieces of white armor. In the center was an eerily familiar helmet, its visor reflecting his annoyed face. "He said it would be of use."

'...sneaky bastard.' Maine growled, but he otherwise thanked the soldier. He was half-tempted to throw it away, but given what Ozpin told him earlier, he knew he couldn't go in half-cocked. 'I'll kill him when I get back.'

 _[That would be unwise.]_ Delta said, suddenly appearing next to him. _[If you were to kill him, you would have the combined might of not only Atlas, but every active Huntsmen in the kingdom after you. And that is not factoring in the Huntsmen here in Vale.]_

"D?" Church popped up on Maine's shoulder, surprised to see the green AI fragment here. "What're you doing here?"

 _[As I told you before the other day, the STRIKER unit requires multiple AIs to regulate the energy output, in order to maximize equipment usage and efficiency.]_

"Ooh!" Theta showed up next to Church, bouncing. "Does that mean you're coming with us, Delta?!"

 _[Indeed. I am.]_ Delta nodded before turning to Maine. _[It will be a pleasure working with you again, Huntsmen Arc.]_

'I guess the feeling is somewhat mutual...' He begrudgingly nodded. 'But stay out of my head. Your only gonna be in the armor. Got it?'

 _[Understood.]_

Together, the three AIs vanished, no doubt joining Church inside the collar around his neck. Maine sighed, running a hand through his blonde locks. This situation just seemed too much like the missions he went through while he was in Project Freelancer. It shouldn't have bothered him this much, but the fact that he was going to be using AIs was...not what he preferred. It made him fear another Sigma situation. That being said, he could trust Delta and Theta not to mess around in his head. As for Church...

Well, he wouldn't put it past him, if only to fuck with him.

Maine stood up, closing the suitcase and left the main deck, heading for someplace where he could change into the armor. Delta gave him directions for a suitable place, being none other than the bathroom. As he opened up the suitcase and began to disrobe himself, Delta flickered into view. _[I apologize if this mission brings you some...discomfort, Arc. I imagine this brings up some rather painful memories.]_

'There's that...' Maine admitted, throwing his jacket and shirt aside before his hands began to unclasp his belt. 'But the fact that the General gave me that fucking thing didn't help. I thought I told him, I had no intention of using it.'

 _[Despite what you may think of General Ironwood, he is not the Director.]_ Delta remarked in his usual tone. _[In fact, if the two were to ever meet, I believe that they would argue about their respective methods. They may even draw a gun on each other.]_

"I would think the General would shoot the Director first, though..." Church commented.

'Maybe. But I'm still not keen on trusting any military official.'

 _[Understandable.]_ Once his pants and shoes were off, Maine took out what looked to be a black bodysuit, marked in symmetrical lines. _[The suit is crafted from special fibers that act as repelling agents for all manner of Dust. To put it simply, it is Dust proof. Unfortunately, it won't offer you protection from live-action bullets.]_ Maine nodded and slipped into the suit. At first, it seemed a bit too large for him until it suddenly shrunk, squeezing on his form until it hugged every last inch of his body. Flexing his fingers and body parts, he found the bodysuit to be somewhat comfortable, if perhaps a little tight around the crotch before he began to fit the armor over his body.

 _[The armor itself was based on your old unit. However, due to Atlas technology being far behind the UNSC, adjustments and substitutions have been made.]_ Delta informed him. _[It is not as powerful as the original, but it does possess all of the enhancements from your old unit. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, it's power usage is still a liability, hence the requirement of AIs to regulate the energy output.]_

'Anything else I should know?' Maine asked as he slapped on the breastplate, which clasped onto his form with a metallic hiss, configuring to join with the rest of the armor. He then began to attach the bracers and shoulder pads.

 _[That should be all.]_

With a tug, the gauntlets were fixed on his arms. Overall, the armor felt tight on his body, but the weight was familiar to him. Nostalgic, almost. The last piece was his helmet, which rested in his hands.

Maine glared back at his reflection. He could swear he saw Sigma standing over his shoulder, smiling smugly while flames encroached. It vanished soon after he closed his eyes, and opened them again to see only the face of a broken man, trying to make up for all the wrongs he did. He sucked in a breath, flipping the helmet around before he slowly settled it over his face. As soon as it was in place, it let out a low hiss, connecting to the rest of the armor. Shortly after, the inside of the helmet lit up with several different screens.

 _ **VERIFYING...**_

 _ **FACIAL RECOGNITION AND IMPRINTING IN PROGRESS...**_

 _ **ANALYZING DATA...**_

 _ **IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION COMPLETE.**_

 _ **ACTIVATING SYSTEMATIC TACTICAL RECONNAISSANCE INTELLIGENCE KILLZONE ELIMINATION RECOVERY ZA-1 ASSAULT ARMOR...**_

"...Jesus...that's a lot of words for one suit of armor. Would it kill them to shorten it?" Church asked.

 _[That is why the refer it as the STRIKER Armor.]_

"Why do they call it that? Some sort of acronym?"

 _[Striker is spelled in all capitals, each letter referring to each designated use of the suit.]_

"...you could have just said, yes, you know." Church deadpanned.

 _[I just did.]_

Moments later, the words vanished, replaced with a tactical HUD screen. Maine nodded at the familiar sight. It seemed all systems were in order. He wasn't sure about its operational capabilities, but they seemed close enough to his old armor. He then proceeded to grab the briefcase containing his weapon, unlocking it and taking out the Brute Shot MK-II, fastening it to his back. As he was about to step back out into the main area, he paused and found himself looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

He looked exactly as he was when he was the Meta, save for the slight differences in the suit and his weapon of course. But the resemblance and reminder were still there. A low growl rumbled from his throat, fingers coiling into a fist. Without warning, he slammed it into the mirror, smashing it to pieces.

"Jesus, man! A little warning next time before you decide to smash mirrors?!" Church cried.

 _'Shut up! I didn't want to look at that reflection anymore than I had to...'_

He didn't want to see him again. He didn't want to see the man he used to be. The man who killed all of his friends and family.

He didn't want to see the Meta.

"But you're not the Meta." Theta told him.

'Maybe...' Maine retracted his fist and went to the door. 'But I used to be.'

* * *

When Texas found him, she thought she was staring at a ghost or something. The armor, while more sleek and less bulky, was almost identical to his old armor, and the Brute Shot MK-II sat on his back in the same position as its predecessor.

"...shit." Texas swore. "You look..."

Maine let out a growl, as if to say, 'Yeah, I know.' before he moved past her and went to the hanger door. Texas watched him go with a conflicted expression before Church appeared next to her. "I am seriously wondering if this was a good idea right now." he said, clearly not liking this picture that was being presented. "We sure he ain't gonna go crazy?"

"Only one way to find out, Church." Texas replied, though equally as concerned. She followed after her old colleague, slipping on her helmet, which was designed no differently than the ones worn by SPARTAN's thankfully before she pressed the button on the side, opening up communications. "How much longer until we reach the LZ?"

"Not too long, ma'am. ETA is five minutes."

"Copy that."

Communication ended there. She found Maine waiting just outside the front door of the Bulkhead, no doubt ready to drop in when it was time to disembark. His posture was tense, as if he was reliving old memories that were better left untouched. He rubbed his wrists, constantly closing and opening them. "Hey." Texas said, tapping his visor and earning his attention. "Lighten up, will ya? This ain't Project Freelancer. No Insurrectionist bullshit or anything. Just White Fang and Grimm, nothing more and nothing less. And you aren't the Meta, anymore." Maine hissed, as if questioning her. Whether or not he was, she just answered with a chuckle. "If you were, I would have kicked your ass by now."

 **[Attention, Agents.]** a voice opened up a comm link to the two former Freelancers. **[This is Red Crown. Be advised, we are approaching the hostile site now. ETA is two minutes.]**

"Copy that." Texas answered. "Any idea what we can expect down there, aside from White Fang grunts?"

[Reports claim that they are in possession of two Altesian Paladin prototype model, as well as two dozen hacked Knights. There are also several reports of there being well over thirty containment units with Grimm housed in.]

 _[And what is the mission requirement for success?]_ Delta asked in Maine's place.

 **[Your orders are as follows: White Fang personnel are either to be eliminated or incapacitated. Act on your own discretion. However, White Fang Captain Rojo Desagra, who is confirmed to be present at the base, is to be captured alive and taken into custody.]**

"So, kill the fodder and capture their leader, got it." Texas nodded.

 **[ETA now thirty seconds.]**

Maine rolled his neck and shoulders, proceeding to crack his knuckles. Texas did the same albeit cracking her neck as well. Soon, the doors of the bulkhead pulled open, letting wind blow into them. Down below was the city of Vale, or at least the Southeast end of it. Not far away, the two found the encampment placed by the White Fang.

"Okay!" Church shouted over the roaring wind. "Any chance we can go back?!"

Maine grunted, looking at Texas. Seeing his intention, she nodded and the two ran towards the edge, proceeding to jump straight out and go into free fall.

"SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!" Church screamed in fear as both former Freelancers let gravity pull them to the ground. Even though he was an AI, he felt his heart stop from the sheer terror of the drop.

Black and white streaked through the air, coming down like comets to the earth.

[Play - Red vs Blue OST: Terrify]

* * *

"...hey."

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why-" The White Fang grunt didn't even finish his question was a hulking figure in white armor landed on top of him and drove him to the ground.

"Kale, no!" The other guard screamed as his aimed his weapon before a black armored figure drop kicked him from above.

With two grunts incapacitated, the two Freelancers rolled up to their feet, Maine rolling his neck. "Okay..." Church said as he appeared on his shoulder. "How about, the next time we jump out of a freaking air plane, we warn the ghost, okay?!" Maine grunted and instead looked around, finding that they had landed in what looked like the front door. Better yet, a few White Fang soldiers were nearby, having witnessed their appearance and raised their weapons.

"Well, looks like we're meeting the welcome committee." Texas remarked dryly. "So, how do you think we should deal with them?"

Maine's answer was to take the Brute Shot MK-II from his back and aimed it right at the aforementioned welcome committee, who promptly realized what they were in front of. "Uh... Is-is that a knife? A rifle? A-a knifle?!" someone managed to get out before he pulled the trigger, firing off a grenade right at their feet. In the next second, a fiery explosion sent them flying right off their feet and into the air while alerting the rest of the camp of their presence.

Texas grinned sadistically. "Works for me!" She unholstered the battle rifle from her back and opened fired as well. Her aim struck true as she scored kill shots on all of the grunts in her line of vision.

Sirens began to sound off. The encampment went to hell in chaos, White Fang grunts moving about with weapons at the ready. Inside the base, the Grimm inside containment cages went wild, snarling and growling and howling as negative emotions went wild in the base.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?!" Rojo Desagra, a towering man with tanned skin and wearing a white sleeveless coat with the White Fang insignia on the back of his coat roared, eyes burning with anger. "Who is attacking us?! The Atlesians?!"

"W-we don't know!" one grunt replied in a panic. "They just showed up and started shooting at us!"

Desagra cursed. Of course, this just had to happen when they were ready to execute the plan. Everything was just about to be set in motion, but now this just had to happen. Whoever was attacking them were going to learn who it was that they were fucking with. "Tell Taurus we won't be able to make it." he told someone as he moved away from his makeshift seat of command. "And prep the Paladins! I want these bastards reduced to red paste on the concrete! Nobody fucks with the White Fang!"

* * *

When Texas and Maine went to town, they went to town in the most literal sense. If they weren't busy crushing skulls, they were exploding everything in sight or shooting up anyone with a pulse full of lead. The White Fang was in utter disarray, trying to find a way to circle around them and take them out, only to find themselves overwhelmed and on the receiving end of a slaughter. Corpses were quickly mounting, bodies falling every second.

In the midst of the chaos, one White Fang grunt was panicking. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." he chanted, over and over as he searched for a weapon to use. Something, anything, to help him fight off the Freelancers. Eventually, he found a discarded rifle on the ground lying next to a corpse. "Oh, yes! A rifle! I'm saved!"

"Uh, hey man." another White Fang grunt, ducking underneath incoming gunfire so as to not fall under friendly fire, approaching his comrade. "I hate to bother you but I think that's my rifle you're holding."

"What the hell are you talking about? Just grab any rifle! Like look at that, there is seriously a pile of rifles..." the unnamed grunt told him, gesturing to the numerous rifles among the dead as he tried to find a target, only to find that the Freelancers were moving too quickly for him to lock on.

"No, that's my good luck rifle." the other White Fang grunted insisted. "That's the one I sleep with every night!"

"Are you kidding me, man?!"

The discussion ended when Maine came up from behind, slamming them both at once with his Brute Shot MK-II in ax form, striking them as if he was performing a home run and sending them flying. Using momentum, he turned around quickly and fired the propulsion system, bringing it straight down on a grunt who tried to come at him from behind. His body crumpled beneath the heavy strike, the ground cracking before Maine threw him off his weapon, quickly switching back to its gun form and firing off four grenades of lightning Dust in a crowd of soldiers.

Texas charged straight through the dazed crowd, who were still stunned from the explosion of the Dust grenade. She came in and drop kicked one of the grunts, which threw him into several others and knocked them all down. Spinning up to her feet, she opened fire and mowed down as many as she could before her clip ran empty. Out of ammo, she threw the rifle aside and decided to use her fists, delivering an uppercut to the nearest grunt and following up with a roundhouse kick.

"C'mere, you bitch!"

Another grunt tried to get her from behind, but she ducked under his grab, grasped his outstretched arms and broke them. She then used his body as a human shield as she ran into a rain of gunfire. Once she got close enough, she chucked the fresh corpse at them, then proceeded to pound them all into the pavement.

Two came up from behind her, swords armed to hack her to pieces. She saw them coming a mile away and retaliated with a kick, spinning herself around to face them and knocking the swords out of their hands before proceeding to grab them both by the head and slam them straight down to the concrete. Rising to her feet, she gave the fallen grunts the middle finger.

"Word to the wise. Don't call me a bitch."

"But that's the truth!" Church called out from where Maine was, who had just finished snapping another grunt's neck before blasting another one with a fire dust loaded grenade. In a swift motion, he twisted the Brute Shot MK-II back into ax form and proceeded to knock one grunt straight into a container of Dust before taking the magnum on his waist and firing off a shot, exploding the whole thing sky high into sparks, ice and fire. "You are a bitch! true you're a fucking hot sexy bitch in that body, but still a bitch!"

Maine groaned. 'Do you HAVE to flirt when there's a bunch of dead bodies all over the place?'

 _[I would have to agree.]_ Delta chimed. _[This is hardly the place or the place for compliments.]_

"Less talking, more fighting! Incoming on your six!" Theta cried out in warning.

Maine quickly spun to face the aforementioned position and slammed his axe into the approaching grunt who was carrying a large drill-spear. The grunt blocked it with his spear, leading the two to a stand still. 'Delta! How long can you power the Distortion Unit?!'

 _[Five seconds.]_

'Do it!'

 _[Roger. Activating Time Distortion Unit!]_

A pulse ran out as time slowed to a crawl. Maine took this small window of opportunity to rip the weapon out of the grunt's hands and bisect him with his weapon. When the five seconds were up, time resumed, and the grunt didn't even realize he was killed until it was too late. Maine flicked the blood off of the blade and switched it to its grenadier mode.

"Ugh, gross..." Church gagged. "I can see his intestines."

"Oh, man up." Texas rolled her eyes as she approached Maine. "Like this was any worse than what you've already seen."

"The worst I saw was my own body after Caboose shot at it with Sheila. I don't remember seeing someone cut another guy in half!"

'And yet, you somehow recall a memory of Texas beating Private Jimmy to death with his own skull.'

 _[Technically, that was a fabricated memory due to a mix of Church's memories of Sidewinder and Private Jimmy's trauma from AI implementation.]_ Delta interrupted. _[His recollection of that event being from Sidewinder was most likely because he witnessed Agent Texas subduing Project Freelancer personnel in the midst of her escape shortly after Agent Carolina's death.]_

At the reminder of the death of the woman who he had thought to be like his own sister, Maine winced and clenched his fists. While he had done that action not under his own volition, it was still a memory that haunted him. He sucked in a breath, trying to calm himself down lest he lose himself. He needed to focus on the task at hand. '...Delta. How many soldiers in the viscinity are left?'

 _[According to data, the only opposition left should be-]_

 _ **{THERE YOU BASTARDS ARE!}**_

Both armored soldiers and AI turned to the source of the voice, looking up to see the visor of a large, steel-plated mech suit heavily armed with guns, missiles, and had the White Fang logo painted on the side.

Inside its cockpit, Rojo Desagra glared at the two interlopers. _**{Surrender or die you Atleasian cockbites!}**_

Texas and Maine stared at the Atlesian Paladin blankly, as if they weren't being faced down with a giant metal death wish.

"...motherfucker."

* * *

 _A response, from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy_

 _Dear Councilman,_

 _While I understand the hesitance of flesh and blood soldiers, do understand. A machine is not born from a perfect system. Everything is connected to the CTT. Including other Kingdoms' networks and defenses._  
 _In the event that even one machine, just one, becomes infected with a virus, what safety can we provide to our citizens, when they suddenly turn against us and our defenses crumble?_  
 _I will admit, I am adversed to the idea of such a large group of soldiers defending Vale. However, recent events have made me think otherwise._  
 _That being said, it is best to go by the side of caution. If there is anything that I have learned over these past many years...it is that the future holds many great surprises for us._

* * *

 **A/N:** As Snake would say, "Kept you waiting, huh?"

So, first off, I'm letting you guys know that this story has not been abandoned. I've been quite busy. You see, around a month ago, I apparently discovered that I had an ulcer. Despite getting treatment for a few good weeks, the damn thing wouldn't go away and it reached the point where it had to be surgically removed.

Let me tell you, it hurt like a real son of a bitch.

I recently got discharged from the hospital after I was cleared, so thankfully, I can work on finishing up some other stuff.

At any rate, I hope this chapter suited you guys! The real fun starts next chapter! Stay tuned, motherfuckers!

AND FUCK ULCERS!


	18. Volume 2: Chapter VII

_A letter from [REDACTED] to Schnee Dust Corporation CEO, Jacques Schnee_

 _Dear Jacques,_

 _It's recently come to my attention that you've been slacking off as of lately. As I'm sure you're well aware, your orders were to ensure that Dust deliveries were to be delivered to the specified location, precisely on the third day of the second week, without fail.  
_ _Your negligence is quite concerning. If you fail to uphold our agreement, my dear man, I can assure you that the whole world, much less the Atlesian Council, will learn of your more...questionable decisions.  
_ _Do not forget, Jacques._

 _You OWE me._

* * *

 **RWBY X Red vs Blue Crossover:**

 _ **"Metastability"**_

* * *

Chapter VII: School of Metal and Profanity

"...motherfucker."

Leave it to Texas to colorfully, yet accurately, describe the situation. Maine stared down the imposing form of the dark and silver-colored Paladin, piloted by their primary target, the Brute Shot MK II held firmly in hand.

Said paladin's arms pointed directly at the two and fired its missiles. "Oh shit!" Church cried.

Maine and Texas moved out of the way, dodging the missiles. The latter scooped up two assault rifles, shooting at it. To her chagrin, the bullets only seemed to bounce off. "Dammit!" she cursed. "These bullets don't do shit!"

'Then let's give this a try!' Maine smirked viciously as he opened fire.

Unlike the bullets, the grenades managed to deal some damage. Though it wasn't much. At best, bits of metal was scraped off. _[The Paladin's armor plating are quite durable.]_ Delta informed. _[The best course of action is to destroy the joints to hamper its mobility.]_

'How do we do that?'

 _[The plating on the back of their legs are relatively weak. Aim there. Also, incoming missile.]_

'Activate Bubble Shield, Theta!'

 _[On it!]_ the purple AI chimed.

"Die human scum!" Rojo roared as he fired the ballistics. They shot out and impacted the space where the two soldiers stood. But once the smoke cleared, they were revealed to be unharmed, encased in an energy dome.

"Maine, you okay?!" Texas shouted over at him. The blonde gave her an affirmative nod. "Got any ideas how to deal with this shithead?" Delta sent the plans over to her HUD. Beneath her helmet, Texas had a shark-like smile. "Now we're talking~ Keep him busy! Got an idea!"

'Great, running decoy.' Maine thought as he switched his weapon to its battle-ax form. 'Alpha. Suggestions?'

"You're asking me?" Church asked. "Well, if you do want my opinion, try getting rid of those annoying ass arms. Unless you wanna be blown to sticky red bits."

'Got it! Taking out armaments!' Maine grunted as he aimed at the arm joints.

Rojo, in response, fired off more missiles. Maine charged in, weapon held firmly in hand. Texas, being the sharpshooter for them at this moment, destroyed most of them with her rifles as she made her way around the Paladin. Maine slid beneath the Paladin's arm when it attempted to bat him away, spinning around and pulling the trigger. The Brute Shot MK-II's swinging speed increased and slammed straight into the arm, obliterating it completely.

 _[One down!]_ Theta cheered.

Rojo growled and moved the Paladin to raise its foot over the Freelancer. Maine turned around in time to see it coming down on him. Quickly, he threw the Brute Shot aside and grabbed the incoming foot, straining his muscles while keeping the metal foot away from crushing him. "What?!" Rojo gawked. The weight of the Paladin should've crushed the bastard. Maine grunted as Delta activated the Strength Enhancement, allowing him to force the mechanized behemoth off of him, sending it into a stagger. Rojo then decided to try and swing at him again. This time, it connected and Maine found himself being sent flying, bouncing off the ground and into a wall before he fell off and onto the ground. Pulling himself up, the blonde hissed and ran over to his Brute Shot MK-II, scooping it up off the ground and switching it back to its firearm form, letting loose with the grenades. The White Fang lieutenant attempted to fight back with its remaining arm, but Texas leaped up and hitched a ride on the arm.

"Heads up, asswipe." Texas said as she slammed a sticky grenade into the joint of the arm before she jumped off. Ten seconds later, the arm exploded and fell to the ground in a heap.

"You bastards!" Rojo Desagra roared. "I'll kill you!" As if responding to this, several mounted turrets popped up, mostly on its broad shoulders and on its hips.

Texas immediately ran for cover, sliding behind a concrete road blocker. She checked her ammo and cursed, realizing she wasted her clips and tossed the rifles away. "Useless pieces of crap." she muttered. "Why can't they just use actual bullets and not this cheap Dust shit?" She looked over at Maine, who was taking refuge behind a reinforced armored truck. "Yo, Maine! How much ammo you got left in that thing?!"

 _[Huntsman Arc has only a few dozen rounds left.]_ Delta informed her. _[Power is also running low as well. We've rerouted all remaining power to use the STRIKER's basic functions.]_

"Well, that's just great." Texas rolled her eyes. "Any ideas how we're supposed to get behind its legs? I got one more sticky grenade. Could probably pop off the shielding for you to blow off the rest." Maine gave her this look that said, 'That depends, you planning on using me as a decoy?' "My armor isn't equipped to handle heavy fire like that. You're the best chance we got to get his attention."

'...Alright. What do you need me to do?'

"Easy. Blow his shit up."

Maine rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless. 'D, Theta.' he called to the two AIs. 'See if you can track his line of fire. When I give the signal, reroute power to the bubble shield, but only divert power to critical panels for five seconds. Can you handle that?'

 _[I can. I did the same thing with North back then.]_ Theta answered.

'Good. On my signal.' The Paladin drew closer. 'Sync!'

 _[Mark!]_

'Go!'

Maine sucked in a breath and rushed out. In seconds, all gunfire was focused on him, allowing Texas to move and dash around to the back, readying her bomb. Translucent tiles deflected the bullets as they came, albeit flickering. When he got close enough, the shields powered down and the blonde soldier slid underneath a leg, avoiding being squashed before he got up to his feet and transformed the Brute Shot into its weapon form. With a roar, he leaped up and swiped at the torso. While he failed to do any actual damage, he did manage to destroy one of the turrets. To repay the favor, finding him clinging to the machine, Rojo began to flail about wildly and randomly stomped around the compound. Maine clung on tightly out of fear of what may happen if he let go, and promptly cursed when Rojo decided to plow through a warehouse.

While it was nowhere near as painful or as dreadful as some of the other situations he had been, like being tossed around on a highway after having his throat shot to hell, it was still an unpleasant experience. Even so, he stuck to the Paladin like glue, crawling his way around the mech before he managed to reach the other side, slamming his weapon into the turret. 'Two down.' he thought before the Paladin came to an abrupt stop and spun 180. Maine then found himself being thrown through the air before he slammed into several crates, all of which were filled with Dust - from fire to ice to electricity to gravity, all manner of crystals were now splashed against the concrete.

Rojo smirked evilly at the sight, relishing it withe very fiber as he approached. "Time to die, dog." he said as his last remaining turret prepared to fire.

During all of this, however, he had completely forgotten about Texas. She leaped onto the Paladin and ripped off the turret with her hands before jumping back off.

At this point, the grenade she stuck to its back finally detonated.

The machine stumbled forward. Maine smirked wickedly as he charged forward, dragging his battle-ax behind him. At the last possible second, Texas took some of the remaining Dust she grabbed from her rifles before tossing them at the back of the legs. The thrusters on the Brute Shot MK-II fired up and the ax sped up, striking into the Dust crystals and into the back of the Paladin's leg. In the next second, an explosion rocked the Paladin off its feet and destroyed its leg, sending it skidding across the pavement.

"Dammit!" Rojo cursed as he forced the Paladin to stand to no avail. No matter how hard he tried, it continued to fumble and fall. Frustrated, he decided to say "fuck it" and punch himself out of the cockpit.

He was promptly grabbed by the throat and pulled out from the cockpit, staring back at Texas' visor. "Well, hello, you furry asshole." she greeted cheerily. "Got time to talk?"

"F-fuck you!"

"Tsk, tsk. Wrong answer."

Rojo was promptly greeted with an armored fist to the face, knocking him out cold. 'Well, at least that's over.'

 _[Great! So can we go now before something comes and tries to kill us?]_ Church asked. _[Pretty sure the military schmucks can-oh, wait. Hold on. Incoming call from Red.]_ Maine raised an eyebrow. A call from Ruby? What was all this about? He gave Church the okay to answer it. A second later, they were patched through. _[Hey, Red. The hell's-]_

[HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!] was the first thing that came from the other end. Then came the sound of something exploding.

The ground suddenly shook beneath them. In the distance, smoke began to rise into the air. "What the hell?" Texas said, bewildered before she put a hand to her helmet. "Red Crown, what the hell was that?"

 _ **[Verifying... Warning! Grimm have been detected in the central plaza of Vale!]**_

"What?!" she cried. "How the fuck is that possible?!"

'Doesn't matter!' Maine snarled, holstering his Brute Shot MK-II on his back. 'We're out of here!'

* * *

To say that Team RWBY's mission had gone completely FUBAR was a massive understatement.

Let's rewind time for a second. Their mission at Mountain Glenn was relatively simple. They were investigating the ruined city for any signs of White Fang activity. In that time, Team RWBY had been questioned by Oobleck for their reasons about becoming Huntresses. In the evening, though, Ruby had somehow managed to stumble across the White Fang's base of operations.

Everything after that was a bit crazy. To make a long story short, Roman Torchwick had commandeered a train and armed with explosives, intending to ram it into the center of Vale via the tunnels, allowing them to blast a hole that would let the Grimm pass through. Suffice to say, the girls all had a fight on their hands.

Unfortunately, the train had ultimately succeeded and blasted a hole in the central plaza. Grimm were now flooding into the city by droves. People were screaming and trying to flee. Yet that was not the worst thing. Some stragglers of the White Fang still insisted to try and raise chaos, taking control of the stolen Paladins.

The girls were doing their best to fight back against the Grimm and the White Fang, but they were four girls. Oobleck was off elsewhere, involved in his own battles. As much as his assistance would be valued, they needed to hold them off on their own.

Still, at least Zwei was able to cause some mayhem. The dog was doing good work. Plus, Ruby found it ironic that a tiny little corgi was capable of kicking Beowolf butt.

"Heads up!" Yang called as she delivered a one-two punch to a Creep before grabbing it by the head and throwing it to Ruby. She darted forward with Crescent Rose, gathering momentum with a pull of the trigger. A flash of red and the Creep was cut in half, left to dissipate. "Nice!"

"Don't let your guard down!" Blake called. "There's still more on the way!"

True to her word, another wave of Grimm charged at them. With a flick of her wrist, Weiss manifested a series of glyphs to throw them off balance. She twirled her rapier before stabbing it into the ground, creating a series of ice spikes to impale the creatures of the dark. Swiftly, Blake moved in, Gambol Shroud already weaving as it cut off the heads of Beowolves and Creeps. Once she passed them, she slid to a stop, panting slightly. She was still exhausted from fighting Roman. She was going to run out of gas soon. A shadow loomed over her, making her look over her shoulder and come face to face with a King Taijitsu, which hissed at her.

Faster than she could react, its head snapped forward, intending to swallow her whole. Before it reached her, however, a familiar pink blur came in and slammed the hammer into its face. "Hands off, leather skin!" Nora growled, plowing the giant snake into the wall. "No touching the kitty cat!"

"Nora?"

Following behind the girl were two other familiar faces. "Sorry it took us so long!" Pyrrha apologized. "The teachers are on their way here!"

"How long will it take them?"

"Five minutes." Ren answered. "We have to hold out until then."

A loud metallic groan filled the air. All eyes turned to see a half-ruined Paladin rising from the ground, rockets armed on its only functioning limb and turrets aimed.

Weiss grimaced. "Oh, son of a bi-"

She was cut off as the missile fired and impacted the ground around them, the force of the blast tossing them midair. some of them landed in a rough tumble while the rest managed to soften their landings. But they all prepared themselves for an even more intense fight. It took most of them to take out a Paladin the other night. They even had Maine to help dish out heavy damage. Now they had to worry about this scrap heap and the Grimm around them.

They had no choice. They needed to fight and hold them off until the teachers arrived.

"Can this get any worse?"

"Nora." Weiss pleaded. "Don't jinx it."

As it turned out, things had gotten worse. For what side, however, that was up in the air. The half-ruined Paladin readied its turrets, but something suddenly landed on top of it, causing the metal to crumple and creak. Following after it was an explosion that reduced it to melted shrapnel. Flames encompassed the area.

Strolling out from the flames was a chilling sight: a white armored-clad figure with an eerily familiar helmet, wielding a black-and-red weapon with a silver edge. Team RWBY and NPR felt a cold chill run down their spines, their minds racing back to that horribly day back in the Forever Fall forest. The setting only made the figure all the more imposing.

The figure stopped in front of them, hoisting the weapon on its shoulder before it gave them a two-finger salute. Then a flicker of sapphire appeared on its shoulder. "Sup, losers." Church greeted. "Miss us?"

"Church!" Ruby cried in relief. "Jaune! You guys are back!"

"Bout time!" Yang added as she punched a Creep in the jaw. "We seriously needed more firepower! There's no end to these guys!"

'Then let's take them out!' Maine reloaded his weapon and fired a grenade into the approaching horde.

An elder Deathstalker tried to rush at the group from behind, but a figure encased in black armor dropped from the sky and crushed its head. Its exoskeleton practically cracked beneath the pressure. Rising to her feet, Texas rolled her neck. "Okay." she challenged the stunned Grimm as she readied her rifles. "So who's first?"

A few Grimm looked at one another before turning to the ex-Freelancer, growling and howling and launching themselves at her. A Beowulf jumped up for an overhead swing, but Tex grabbed the outstretched limb, snapped it like a twig, and slammed the Grimm's body on top of another Beowulf. She kicked them aside and elbowed a Beowolf that came up from behind her in the face, shattering its jaw and knocking it back. Whipping out her rifles, she proceeded to unload a full clip into a group of Creeps. Several were killed immediately while others managed to dig into the ground, aiming to strike her from underground. Seeing this, Texas jumped away to avoid it and threw a grenade at the ground, right where the Creeps would appear. Two seconds later and the Creep emerged, only to be caught in the blast and killed on the spot. Three Beowolves charged at her, one leaping into the air.

Tossing her rifles away when she couldn't use them any longer, Texas intercepted it and delivered a haymaker to its solar plexus, throwing it towards an incoming Boartusk. The other two Grimm flanked her and aimed to take her down. Texas backflipped, avoiding them both and threw a roundhouse kick to the back of the second Grimm's head, throwing them both aside.

A Boartusk leaped into the other, spinning wildly and aiming straight for her. Texas looked and saw the same Taijitsu that Nora knocked away earlier slithering up to her, no doubt to attack her when she dodged. With a smirk, she jumped up and kicked the spinning Boartusk in mid-air straight at the open mouth of the Taijitsu.

The results were humorous: the Boartusk was lodged in the snake's throat, causing it to choke and allowing Texas to grab it by the tail. With a roar, she proceeded to spin it around like a rope, knocking it around and throwing several Grimm caught in the act away and into the piles of debris. She then threw it away, sending it flying in a random direction.

Sadly, in that direction was Jaune, who swung his Brute Shot MK-II right at that moment, thus cutting off the snake's head in the process. The rest of the snakes body flopped and tumbled, rolling over several Grimm in the process.

"Fuck! A bit of warning next time if you're throwing something in our direction?!" Church yelled.

"Sorry, heat of the moment." Texas shrugged as she shot a young Nevermore out of the skies.

"Jaune!"

The brute delivered a brutal uppercut to an incoming Creep, throwing it up to the air, allowing Nora to leap in and knock it straight into a nearby pile of debris. The pieces were sent flying, some embedding themselves into the Grimm. Pyrrha rushed in and cut down several small Beowolves in her way, Milo dancing in her grasp before she joined her partner and team leader. Ren met up with Nora, vaulting over an Ursa and shooting at its exposed back, staggering it and leaving it open for Nora to blow it to kingdom come.

Off to the side, Team RWBY were fairing slightly better than they had been earlier, in no small part to the two Freelancers evening the odds. Ruby stayed back and took a sharpshooting position to thin out the ranks. Blake and Yang took to the vanguard by slicing through or beating down the Grimm that approached. Weiss took a supportive role by augmenting them with her time dilation Glyphs while skewering nearby foes.

The blonde brawler delivered a barrage of punches to an Ursa Major that tried to sneak up on her. Each strike was enhanced via a shot from her Ember Celica before she knocked it into the air. As it came back down, she delivered another punch to its face. Its skin seem to ripple before it was sent flying and smashed straight into another Ursa, knocking it down and leaving it open for Blake to leap upon it and stab her blade into its skull. A Beowolf attempted to sneak up on her, but it only struck down a shadow clone before black cloth wrapped around its neck. With a tug, Blake pulled it towards her and put the Grimm in front of her, turning it into a shield just as a flock of Nevermores sent a wave of sharp feathers her way.

Weiss saw the flock and narrowed her eyes. She twirled about and slammed Myrtenaster into the floor, creating a spinning sigil underneath her. "Here's hoping this works...!"

Swirls of mist and light congregated around the si girl as if trying to manifest something. Unfortunately, just when something was about to take corporeal form, it dispersed.

 _'Dammit! Even in a situation like this?!'_

"Weiss, watch out!"

"Huh?"

Due to her focus on her failed task, she failed to see the small Nevermores swoop in towards her. Thankfully, however, they were intercepted by Ruby, who spun her scythe in front of her to knock the incoming flock back. They were bounced right off, sent flying into the surrounding area.

"Are you okay?! It looked like you lost focus or something!" She cried in concern.

"I-I'm fine. Just tried something, but it didn't work. Anyway, where are the teachers?!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Zwei emerged out from the battlefield, leaping off the ruined remains of a half-dismantled Paladin. Nearby, a Beowolf was left on the ground, whining weakly and wondering how in the hell it could have lost a fight with a damned tiny dog of all things.

"Woof!" Zwei barked happily as it scampered off.

The ground then rumbled as another Paladin pulled itself out of the ground. However, before it could even move to attack, a fireball struck its cockpit. Zwei looked up, finding a Bullhead passing overhead. The doors were already open, revealing Port, armed with some kind of harness and blunderbuss. At his side were four students, all of whom were a year or so older than Team RWBY.

"Looks like one hell of a party down there." a girl with shades remarked with a grin, a dark-brown case with gold trims on her person. "What do you boys and girl say we spice things up?"

Port laughed heartily. "Well said, Ms. Adel! Now then, Team CFVY! Let's give the first years a hand, shall we?!"

* * *

The Breach, as it had been called, was one of the worst incidents that had ever occurred in Vale. Ozpin, of course, would like to disagree. He could count name well over a dozen times Vale had been in serious dangers. This had been the most tame incident to his recollection, but still no less dangerous.

Damage was sparse, with several buildings and shops either heavily damaged or destroyed. Quite a few lives were lost, and many more seriously injured. White Fang soldiers were arrested and sent to Ironwood's main ship, waiting there to be tried for their crimes. Glynda and the rest of the staff were in the middle of repairing the damage and the students who helped fight back against the Grimm horde were given a long respite. Many had already returned home or were resting and helping the teachers.

For their sake, and hard work, Ozpin cancelled any and all classes for the rest of the week. Glynda would have choice words for him, but for now, they more than earned it.

"What a mess..." Ironwood grimaced, looking at the reports in his hand before he turned to Ozpin. "Torchwick was arrested, insisting that he's the mastermind."

Ozpin hummed as he took a sip from his mug. A little bit on the cold side, unfortunately. "And do you believe him?"

"Hell no." the General scoffed. "The resources and planning this would have taken is far beyond him. He's a skilled criminal, yes, but he isn't this good. If I were to guess, it's probably the same person who hacked into the CCT tower."

"Sounds reasonable." Ozpin shrugged. "Still, this is quite the unfortunate event. And just when things were beginning to seem so hopeful."

Ironwood gave Ozpin a look, clearly having other thoughts on his mind. "Have you heard back from the Vale Council?" he asked. Ozpin nodded. "They contacted me earlier."

"What did you tell them?"

"I had half a mind to borrow from Qrow and tell them to "fuck off." The man's lips curved into a smile. To think he would hear General Ironwood himself say such words. "They have no right to question your competence. None of them would have been able to react as fast as we did!"

"Things would have gone much smoother, had we been able to prevent this from happening." Ozpin replied coolly. "Besides, the Council's already made it clear that they've grown tired of me. To be honest, my more recent ventures have started to make them irritated with me. They've been looking for an excuse to remove me from my position as Headmaster."

"Oz, while I will admit that your actions have become...questionable lately, I know what you do is for the greater good. Unfortunately, the Council fails to realize that. In the short term, I would agree, as it would seem you fail to take proper action. But you think of long term effects of events. As you would say, acting brashly would alert our enemies."

"Indeed. I must say, James. Pardon my bluntness, but I would've assumed you would've agreed with the Council's position of my incompetent actions." He smiled wryly.

"At some point, I probably would have. But certain circumstances had me...learn to keep an open mind." he said, with no small amount of shame. "Especially considering the state of things. Speaking of which, Rojo Desagra was captured and rounded up with the rest of his men. All of his supplies were either destroyed or seized."

"That's good at least." Ozpin said. "And what of the equipment found there?"

Ironwood's face shifted. "It's like we thought... The equipment used to contain and capture the Grimm were significantly modified and enhanced, but they're all without a doubt the trademark designs of Dr. Merlot."

"I see... That's troubling."

Troubling, Ozpin rescinded, didn't even begin to cover that. Merlot was enraptured by the beauty of chaos the Grimm presented. So many possibilities the man saw. Once, the man thought to bring this genius into his fold, but quickly pulled back when he realized doing so would only bring more harm than good. All Merlot cared for was exploring the possibilities these Grimm could offer him, the costs be damned.

Such a wild element should not be kept in a position of authority. Which was why when his crimes came to light, he was stripped of his assets and nearly incarcerated before his escape. His company collapsed shortly after that, and any and all assets were seized by his former benefactors. Chief among them was Jacques Schnee, who had invested in his business profits in the hopes of establishing a prominent hold in Vale. However, that never came to pass, fortunately.

Ozpin dreaded what the future held, if Merlot had thrown his bets in with Salem. Worse, with Watts. Two geniuses, both of whom with little morals, was something that was not to be underestimated.

"Enough of that." he decided, wanting to move away from such a depressing atmosphere. "How did the STRIKER test go for you?"

Ironwood smiled. "There are a few bugs, but for the most part, it functions perfectly." he said. "All I have to do is try to convince Parliament to help fund mass produce it without tipping them off. Naturally, however, Maine gave the armor back to me. As he said he would. He explicitly said he refused to return to military duty. This was merely a side job and one time deal."

"Indeed. It's a shame. You don't find soldiers of his caliber that often anymore, but it is for the best." Especially considering his experiences. "For now, we should investigate Merlot's activities. If he's alive, and he's working with Salem, I can only imagine what the man will be able to accomplish."

"Funny you should say that..." Ironwood walked over to the desk, fiddling with his Scroll before he set it down. A holographic map then appeared in front of their faces, showing what appeared to be a map of the Emerald Forest. "Merlot's equipment releases a special frequency. It's sort of like a tracking beacon. However, it only activates when there are large numbers of Grimm nearby. It seems Merlot has set up something akin to 'Grimm nets' in the Emerald Forest and in the Forever Fall forest."

The Headmaster studied the map intently, fingers drumming along his knuckles. "If I'm reading this right," he began slowly. "These 'Grimm nets' are located next to the Power Stations." The Power Stations more or less acted as sub-stations, powering small settlements close by and extending information transferred and received from the CCT towers. While the Power Stations in the forests were mostly just there to help things progress more smoothly in Beacon, it was still unnerving. "Why would they be there?"

"I have no idea." the General confessed. "But it's worrying nonetheless." Especially since this could imply that these Grimm nets were meant to be set up nearby populated villages.

He would have liked to believe that Merlot wouldn't do such a thing, but he knew better. The matter had to be resolved, and soon.

"I'll have someone keep an eye on the Power Stations." Ozpin said. "As things are now, I don't have the manpower to invest resources. Even so, I'd like to have someone investigate the matter."

"I'll see what I can do." Ironwood said. "By the way, has there been any word from our little bird?"

"Funny you should ask..."

* * *

 ** _[-in other news, the central plaza of the city of Vale suffered what was perhaps one of the worst national incidents in recent history. Without any warning, innocent bystanders watched as a train suddenly crashed out from underneath the plaza, allowing hordes of Grimm to invade the city. Sources say that the train was used by members of the White Fang, and that the incident was orchestrated by none other than Roman Torchwick. Despite the efforts of the Atlesian Military and the brave Huntsmen and Huntresses on the scene, many lives were lost in the ensuing chaos. According to some, the Vale Council has begun to question the competence of Beacon Academy's Headmaster Ozpin. There is no word whether this will affect the Vytal Festival yet, but Atlas has been asked to provide security detail for the tournament. This has been Lisa Lavender, of Vale Daily News. Back to you, Bryce.]_**

The news continued to blare and drone on, but the bar's sole occupant had lost interest after the report in Vale. His interest was focused on the drink in his hand. He swirled the liquid before chugging it down, the alcohol leaving a familiar burn down his throat. "Hey, pal." the bartender questioned him. "How much longer you gonna be here? It's way past closing time. The only reason I let you stay this long is because I owed ya a favor."

"I'm just about done." the man said with a sigh, setting his half-finished drink down. "Can't seem to get dead drunk today, anyway." He dug in his pocket and set a few Lien cards on the counter. "Here. Some extra for the leftover vodka."

"Sure thing." The barkeep nodded as he traded the half-empty bottle for the lien.

"Thanks." The man proceeded to drink right out of the bottle.

He then turned around to leave. Shortly after he did, the barkeep moved around to face the shelves, but in the process his arm bumped into the half-filled glass and toppled it, spilling the contents across the counter. The glass rolled off and fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

"Oh, god dammit..."

Outside the bar, the drunk sighed. "Things back home are getting pretty tense. Wonder if it's time for me to head back?"

* * *

"Sheesh...I'm glad that shitstorm's over and done with..." Church commented once he and Maine made it back to their dorm.

The blonde had discarded his armor and promptly shoved it into the hands of the nearest Atlas soldier, telling Delta to tell the General that he could suck his dick as he would not put that damn thing on again. With his team, JNPR returned home to Beacon and practically melted into their bunks. Especially Nora, who had been extremely trigger happy during the whole thing.

Texas had chosen to go elsewhere, no doubt to help the other teachers as they repaired Vale. Not that Jaune cared. He was too tired to care.

"That was a thing." Pyrrha mumbled into her pillow. "I've never felt so sore in my life... And that is saying something." Given how she was the Mistral a Regional Champion for three years straight, no doubt as a result of severe training and dedication...that was saying something.

Ren had already passed out on his bed, snoozing away. A testament to how arduous the Breach was. They didn't know about Team RWBY, but he was willing to assume they were just as tired as he was. Ruby had filled him in on the details as they left for Beacon. 'Torchwick's working for someone, but who?' he thought as he laid down in bed. 'Same person who hacked into the CCT?'

"Why worry about crap like that?" Church asked, lying on the railing. "Way I see it, we get time off for this crap. Well, assuming General Morningwood doesn't come calling for you to play dress up."

'He can try, but I am not getting into that suit again.'

"I thought you looked good in it." Theta threw his two cents in. "It kind of reminded me of how things used to be. Well, before Sigma showed up."

'Please don't remind me of that either. The less I remember about him the better.'

"Amen to that." Church nodded. He only had one real encounter with the flaming AI, barring messing around inside Maine's head, and one encounter was enough for him. "Welp, time for some shut-eye... You know something? I think this is the first time I can actually get some good fucking sleep without Caboose or Tucker coming barging into my room to wake my ass up for some stupid reason."

Maine shot Church a small glance. 'Since when do ghosts need sleep?'

"Not sure. It's more of a pleasure than necessity. And without Tucker or Caboose, I can enjoy it with peace and quiet."

Maine rolled his eyes. Church flickered away, vanishing from view. Theta decided to follow Church's example and waved at Maine before he vanished, thus leaving the soldier by himself. He sighed softly and began to get himself comfortable on his bed.

Sadly, after about maybe twelve minutes, he realized sleep would not come. As it had for Pyrrha, who poked her head up. "Jaune? Are you still awake?"

'Unfortunately.' Maine waved a hand. 'Can't go to sleep. You can't either?'

"No." She shook her head. "I've been thinking about...you know, the Breach. It's scary. I never thought I'd see something like that happen. The cities are supposed to be safe from Grimm. Well, the ones closest to the CCT Towers, anyway."

'No one's safe from anything.' Maine rebuked. 'Take it from me, Pyrrha. You can never take something for granted.'

Pyrrha was then reminded what her team leader had been forced to endure, making her face morph into crest-fallen dismay. It was saddening to know that the dumb blonde boy she had been trying to earn attention from had changed so much. In fact, he had become someone else entirely. A harsh reminder, but at the very least, he was back with them. Changed, but still with them.

 _'With me.'_

That brought a blush to her face and shook her head. Goodness, what was this? Since when did she start becoming a giddy high school girl with a crush? Admittedly, she did find Maine attractive, both before and after his disappearance. The shaggy and fierce look he sported now did do wonder and- No, wait. Focus Pyrrha!

'Something wrong?'

"N-nothing." she hastily replied, making him raise an eyebrow. "S-since we're both awake, why don't we talk for a bit?"

'I got nothin' better to do. What's up?'

"Well... Do you think you can tell me about your friends from Project Freelancer?" Maine tilted his head. "All we really saw about them was from your memories. Well, before you got Sigma. Is-is that okay?" She hastily added. "I don't want you to force yourself! I mean..."

Maine smiled thinly and waved a hand in dismissal. 'It's fine. I don't mind. You already know about Texas, so... I guess I can start with York.'

"Okay. What kind of person was York? From what we saw, he seemed like a jokester to me."

'Oh, he was. And he was a pretty good poker player, too. So long as you didn't involve Florida. Bastard would cheat you out of your pants.' Maine chuckled. 'He was like the group's big brother, alongside North. And as you might already know, he was in relationship with Carolina. Not sure how exactly that worked, considering how she was. Especially when Texas showed up and starting overshadowing her.' He always believed that damned scoreboard would cause trouble. Everyone had been so obsessed with doing their best and earning the Director's attention that once somebody showed up and starting doing better than everyone else. 'Anyway, he liked to crack a joke every once in a while, and made sure to look out for everyone. Even Wyoming, even though the bastard's the reason why he lost his eye.'

"I saw..."

'And his joked are better than Wyoming's...who tells nothing but knock knock jokes...' Maine cringed. God, they were so cheesy. Not to mention hardly funny. 'Then there's North. Like York, he was like the big brother of the group. Maybe a lot more so. Pretty much one of the only people who didn't care much about the whole scoreboard crap. And also the only person who could calm down South whenever she got really pissy.'

"What was South like?"

'To put it bluntly, she was a bitch.' Pyrrha blinked. 'Okay, she had her good moments, but for the most part, she was a bitch. Especially when North got Theta. She was jealous that she never got an AI of her own. Wyoming was just this really annoying guy. He was a crack shot, but man had no sense of humor. Also kind of arrogant. Then there was Florida. Chipper all around. Like North and York, they didn't care much about the scoreboard. He was just cared about getting the job done, and then relaxing. Then we've got Washington.' A strange sound rumbled from Maine's throat. It sounded like a laugh. 'Oh, god Washington. God I miss that idiot.'

"You two must've been pretty close."

'We were. When I was inducted into Project Freelancer, we were both newbies. So we pretty much looked out for one another. He was actually kinda a goofball, and admittedly, the worst fighter of Project Freelancer. Hell, this one time during an op, he somehow managed to get a grappling hook stuck to his balls!'

"R-Really?!" Pyrrha had to stifle her giggles from the absurd tale.

'I wasn't there myself, but the guys filled me in. He was the newbie before I got pulled in by the Director, so the two of us managed to hit it off pretty well.'

"And, what about Carolina?" Pyrrha asked out of curiosity.

'She was one of the best soldiers we had. She excels at CQC, determined, and dedicated to her cause. But her main flaw was that she was extremely competitive, and it would cause her to make stupid mistakes, such as when Texas showed up.'

"I see."

'Now that I think about it, she reminds me of you.'

"Of me?"

Maine nodded. 'Sure, she didn't have problems like you did, but... She did remind of you sometimes. Out of everyone in Project Freelancer, I felt maybe the most comfortable around her. It was weird. Of course, she still made it a point to drill things into my head via Drill Sergeant Nasty style.

"Sounds like when we first trained..." Pyrrha giggled at the memory.

'Yeah, kinda.' Maine chuckled. 'I'm still missing a few memories. Mostly just from stuff about my family. I know I've got seven sisters and parents, but other than that, I don't really know much.'

"That reminds me..." Pyrrha pushed herself upward, sitting upright as she looked at Jaune in worry. "Did you let your family know your okay?"

Maine nodded. 'Yeah. I had Ozpin handle it. They wanted me to come home, but I...' He sucked in a breath and dragged his hand down his face. 'I don't know if I can face them just yet. Not like...like this. I'm not Jaune Arc. At least, not the one they remember.'

Pyrrha stared at him with forlorn eyes. She couldn't help but agree. To Maine, he had served years in a military unit and killed many people. And that was before Sigma brainwashed him to become the Meta. How could one face their family after such painful ordeals?

She didn't want to imagine what the family reunion would be like, or how readjusting to his temperment would be like. Instead, she focused on the present and changed topics. "Are you excited for the Vytal Festival?"

'The what?'

"Oh, right. I forgot. You only came back a few weeks ago." she giggled over her little mistake. "It's a tournament, mostly. Basically, all four Huntsmen Academies from the Kingdoms gather, and representatives from the first, second and third year classes all compete against each other."

'So they're having us fight each other? What's the point of it? School bragging rights until the next tournament?'

"Not exactly. The Vytal Festival is to commemorate the treaty between all four Kingdoms that ended the Great War 80 years ago."

'So let me get this straight. To honor the peace that brought and end to the bloodshed of war, students who are not even full-fledged huntsmen are pit against each other to fight?'

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it and blinked rapidly. "...you know, when you put it like that..."

"Who cares...?" Nora's sleepy voice came from the other side of the room, face still planted in her pillow. She must have been either half-awake or on the verge of sleep. "We get to break legs..."

"Go back to sleep, Nora." Pyrrha told the girl. "We may not have classes tomorrow, but we might get sent off on a mission. No rest for the wicked, as they say."

"Okay~" She then turned over and resumed snoring.

Maine sweatdropped. 'You know...some days, I envy this girl.'

* * *

Mismatched eyes stared at the monitor with unhealthy fascination. The sight of the students battling against the Grimm that invaded Vale, courtesy of the actions of the White Fang, had proven to be excellent research material. Especially those Altesian Specialists. Their armor was incredible, especially the brute with the battle-ax.

Ah, how he wished he could've gotten his hands on that armor. But, for now, that could wait. There was so much to be learned. So much data.

A shame so many Grimm perished. They would have made for excellent specimens...

Oh well. It did not matter. He currently had more than enough material to work with. And his current experiments are producing quite exquisite data. Of course, it was still but a mere testing phase. He just needed to run some more tests. Preferably live field tests. He could send them out into the wild, but given how expansive the areas were, he feared he wouldn't receive proper data. And he sincerely doubted there would be anyone who would find themselves here on his island.

Perhaps he should call in a favor?

His Scroll began to beep, shaking on the table. His hand deftly scooped it up, albeit with some difficulty. He needed to replace this rusty old arm soon. He looked at the ID and then smiled widely before he answered. "Ah, Watts, my old friend. It's been too long."

"I wouldn't exactly call us old friends, Merlot." Arthur Watts replied. "At best, we were colleagues at most. I take it you received the data?"

"Oh, yes." Merlot answered giddily. "I do wish there was more to gleam, but I'll make due. At this point, all the data I require are live field tests."

"I see... Perhaps you could send them into the Forever Fall forests? Knowing Ozpin, it won't be long before he discovered how you tampered with the Power Stations."

"An excellent suggestion, though perhaps a bit too hopeful. Unless he were to send some particularly skilled students of his, like the ones who handled the Breach, they'd be ripped apart." A brief pause. "Then again... Perhaps it's time I delved into that old project regarding the effects of human-to-Grimm modification."

"That research could be worth looking into." Arthur mused. "I'll send some more equipment to your island. In the meanwhile, please continue to produce results."

"But of course, my old friend." There was a sound of disgruntlement on the other end, but Merlot didn't care much for it. The call ended and he set his Scroll down before he looked back at the monitor.

The information he obtained was a gold mine. It was only a matter of time before he can truly begin his most magnificent project.

But first: he needed data. And to to that, he needed to choose particular subjects for his field tests.

And he knew just what to send out.

* * *

The following morning had been mostly quiet. Well, as quiet as it possibly could, considering the dorm housed Team RWBY and JNPR, the latter of which had a sugar happy girl with a hammer/grenade launcher for a weapon. Church had returned to Maine with Theta in tow, the two having since bonded. The former had been trying to teach him about less than ideal things, such as how to hate somebody and the finer points of being a pervert while not stooping to Tucker's level and whatnot. Theta, being the child-like fragment he was, understood none of it, save for perhaps the hating part, though he attributed that to Church just hating Caboose. His name came up. A lot.

Everyone was still exhausted from the events of the Breach, so they decided to try and take some relaxation time.

"Try" being the key word here. As Pyrrha had predicted, even though classes were cancelled teams were still required to do missions when required. The Headmaster had requested Team JNPR, but he had given them the offer to refuse if they desired.

Maine was a little sore, but he was otherwise ready to take on whatever the old man had in mind. So long as it didn't involve him and the STRIKER suit.

Half an hour before Team JNPR would arrive at his office, Ozpin was in a meeting with Ironwood, the man having taken more frequent visits since the CCT Tower was hacked. Delta was also present, giving his own report in regards to tracking down whoever could have implanted the virus.

"No leads, I take it?"

 _[Not quite.]_ Delta answered. _[In order to preserve the illusion that our mystery hacker's attempts at implanting the virus were successful, I input a "dummy virus" if you would that grants her a backdoor access to certain files.]_

"A risky gamble."

Ironwood sighed. "Sometimes, we need to dare, Oz." the man said. "Whenever our "friend" accesses Atlas datafiles, Delta takes bits of information from their Scroll. Just enough for her not to notice. Slowly, but surely, we'll paint a clear picture, and have the woman we're after. It isn't ideal, but it is the best we can do on short notice. I'm just hoping that whoever this woman is isn't attempting to cause serious harm. With the way that virus was designed, she could have easily brought down the entire network, all with a few keystrokes."

 _[Indeed. Also, you may wish to open your window.]_ the green AI fragment advised Ozpin, making the Headmaster raise an eyebrow. _[Qrow Branwen's Scroll ID is registered on my navigational systems. He is currently approaching the tower at high speeds.]_

That, of course, meant he was traveling "in style" as the man put it once. Shaking his head, the Headmaster stood up and opened the window, looking out. Sure enough, there was a black bird, heading straight towards him. He stepped back. A few seconds later, the bird dashed into the room and suddenly expanded, changing shape in mid-flight. Landing on their feet was a man with graying black, spiky hair and dull red eyes, a slight stubble along his jawline. With a red, tattered cloak, he wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He also wore a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right ring finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. Strapped to the back of his hip was a weapon, folded in place with plates of metal curved on one another.

Ironwood wrinkled his nose. "Please tell me you bathed."

"Jimmy, in my line of experience, you never use the showers in Vacuo." the man, Qrow Branwen, said bluntly as he rolled his neck and shoulders. "Trust me on this one. Nice to see you, by the way." A slight grin started to form on his face as he folded his arms. "Heard what you've been up to behind the council's back. Welcome to the dark side."

"Yes, well, current circumstances have driven to change tactics." Ironwood admitted reluctantly. That being said, however, I would appreciate it if you didn't phrase it like that. You make it sound as if I'm becoming a villain."

"Well, technically, you were." Qrow shrugged. "Or at the very least, a tin man with a giant ass stick stuck up his ass."

"Good god, why does Ozpin tolerate you so much?"

"Because I'm awesome?"

Ozpin smiled wryly. Ah, he never got tired of such conversations. "While hearing you two bicker is amusing, I didn't call you back just to hear you banter with James." he said, folding his hands over his lap. "Tell me, were you able to find anything out in Vacuo, in regards to the favor I asked?"

"No dice." Qrow waved a hand. "From what I learned, seems like Salem doesn't have a good hold of that place yet. The Headmaster in Shade told me to say hey, by the way. Let me tell you, she's gotten goddamn fine over the years. I mean, really Oz. You shoulda seen her hips."

"Are you drunk?"

"Barely. Not nearly enough, if you ask me." the Huntsman answered, making Ironwood groan and drag a hand down his face. He then casted a glance at Delta and cringed. "Oh, great. It's the Leprechaun."

 _[Greetings, Huntsman Qrow.]_ the AI greeted. _[I am afraid I am not a diminutive, mythological creature you speak of.]_

"You know, I really can't tell if your just that stunted, or if you're just fucking with me."

 _[I am not.]_

Qrow grumbled something underneath his breath. He had a small grudge against this little green hologram thingie ever since it startled his ass out of the blue one day while he was trying to take a leak. He had to go outdoors, since he refused to use the bathrooms in Vacuo. The less said about the incident, the better.

"Anyway, what did you call me in for?" Qrow asked, slouching against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Doubt you had me come back on short notice because Jimmy started being a rebel."

Ozpin nodded, pleased that his friend didn't want to beat around the bush. "Tell me, Qrow. What do you know about Merlot Industries?"

"Only a little. I know they got involved in some kind of huge scandal, and that they were pretty much the reason why Mountain Glenn went to hell." the scythe meister answered. "Why? What's up?"

Ironwood spoke next. "Recently, the White Fang have started to act up in some...unusual ways."

"You mean like teaming up with Roman Torchwick?"

"Worse. They've begun capturing Grimm."

Qrow blinked. "...Okay, maybe I'm a bit more drunk than I thought." he murmured. "Did you just say the Fang's been trying to cage up Grimm?"

"And they've succeeded. All with the help of Merlot Industries technology. Given recent events, we believe Merlot has either thrown his lot in with Salem, or is at the very least collaborating with her for his own interests. We also discovered that the Power Stations in the Forever Fall and Emerald Forests have been tampered with, attracting any nearby Grimm."

The man's face hardened, immediately sobering up. "Okay... And where do I fit in all of this?"

"Originally, I had planned on sending Team RWBY, with our newest addition to our staff meant to advise them." Ozpin told him. "However, I believe the girls could use a break. Especially considering Raven was briefly involved in the Breach." Qrow's eyes widened in shock. Raven was here? Why? "Delta was able to track her whereabouts while we were reviewing the data from the student's Scrolls. It seems she protected her daughter, right when she was about to be killed."

"You don't say..." Strangely, Qrow didn't feel relieved. If anything, his face soured further. "And let me guess, she didn't bother to stick around and show her face to Yang?" Ozpin shook his head. Qrow's lips curved into a grimace and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Dammit, Ray... Okay, so if you're not gonna send Ruby and her team out, who are you sending?"

"Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

"Arc?" Qrow raised an eyebrow. "That name sounds familiar. Wasn't he the kid who was KIA or something?"

"It's a long story. One that involves Delta and his siblings."

The Leprechaun had siblings? Well, wasn't that a cheery thought? By now, Qrow knew what Ozpin had planned for him. He was basically going to play chaperone for a bunch of kids. Not the best job, but if Oz wanted it done, fine. Besides, how bad could they be?

* * *

Team JNPR arrived shortly afterwards. As soon as Church appeared on Maine's shoulder and started talking, Qrow felt a delayed hangover coming on.

"Who's the drunk?" the blue AI asked in a voice that Qrow was desperately trying to ignore. "He a hobo or something?"

"This is Qrow Branwen." Ozpin introduced the first years to the man. "He's a veteran Huntsman, and one of the best under my employ. He'll be acting as your adviser during this mission."

"Seriously? You're having a drunk chaperone a group of kids for a mission that can lead to certain death? Yeah, real reassuring, Oz."

He was blocking out his voice. He was blocking out his voice.

"Despite his...less than favorable choices, he is one of the best Huntsman in Vale." Ironwood insisted. "I'm sorry you all have to take on this mission, especially considering classes were still cancelled for the day."

"It's fine, General Ironwood." Pyrrha told him with a smile. "We're just glad we can be of help."

Maine grunted. "Alright, Wizard of Oz and Morning Wood." Church leaned on his shoulder. "What torture do you have in mind for them today?"

"Recently, it's come to our attention that someone has been tampering with the Power Stations in the Forever Fall and Emerald Forests." Ozpin informed them. "They're emitting a type of energy signal that attracts Grimm. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be too much of a problem, were it not for the fact that there are settlements nearby. I've already sent one team out to repair the Power Station in Forever Fall. Mr. Arc, your team will be handling the Power Station in the Emerald Forest."

"Sounds pretty easy." Nora commented. "But do you know who was tampering with it?"

"Yes. A man by the name of Merlot."

Ren tilted his head. "Merlot? As in, that old corporation that was dissolved and then absorbed by the Schnee Dust Corporation?"

"The very same man. Also known as the one who was one of the causes for Mt. Glenn's downfall due to conspiratory actions involving Grimm." Ironwood added. "Of course, we have no way of knowing if this is actually his doing. Even so, it is better to play it safe."

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "That is why the five of you will be heading into the Emerald Forest. Investigate the Power Stations there, repair them, and see if you can find any evidence of Merlot's tinkering. Delta will be transferring the data you recover from your Scrolls over to ours."

"Of course, sir." Pyrrha nodded. "We will do our best."

"Great..." Qrow muttered. "First job since getting back to Vale, and I'm being asked to babysit. And one of them's got a little shit for an AI. The hell did I miss?"

"You say something, bird man?" Church huffed.

"Fuck off, Blue." Qrow snapped. "Christ, I am NOT drunk enough for this shit. Wish I bought some of the good stuff before I left Vacuo. Only good thing about that place."

Church shook his head. "Does anyone have any problems with the fact that the supposed most badass person here besides Vomit Boy here is a drunk?"

'He can't be THAT bad.' Maine retorted. 'If anything, he's like a mix of South and York. Something I never thought I'd hear myself think. God that is disturbing.'

* * *

Before Team JNPR set off, they decided to say goodbye to Team RWBY. The girls had met them out on the platform with the Bullhead waiting for them.

Strangely, when Yang and Ruby saw Qrow, their eyes lit up. "Uncle Qrow!" A red blur shot past the four and hit Qrow, revealing Ruby who was clinging to the man's arm. "OhmygoshIcan'tbelieveyourheredidyoumissmedidyoudidyou?!"

"Nice to see you too, Rubes." Qrow grinned before he pried Ruby off of him. "So, how's my favorite geek of a niece?"

"Wait, what?!" Church squawked with the rest of them. They were not expecting that. "This drunk's your uncle?!"

"Yeah! He's the collest person ever!" Ruby squealed.

"Red, he's more like a drunk loudmouth."

"I prefer reckless rogue." Qrow interjected with a twitching brow.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, uncle." she said. "Still, you should have told us you came back! We could have set up our Scrolls for the Annual Family Reunion Butt Kicking Tournament!"

"The what now?" Blake asked, completely confused.

Weiss, on the other hand, looked surprised. "I've heard my sister talk about a Qrow Branwen before. And none of it good."

"Let me guess. You're Ice Queen's little sis?"

"Wait, what?!" Church asked the same thing on everyone's minds. "You have a sister?!"

"Why is that so surprising?" the girl asked, feeling slightly offended. Sure, she may have not have told them everything about her family, but did they have to act so surprised? "Yes, I have an older sister, as well as a younger brother."

"Who's apparently a little shit." Qrow said, causing Weiss to choke. "Winter is a hell of a drunk when she wants to be. Never seen a woman in desperate need of a drink in all of my life."

"Wow. Bet you two would be perfect for each other." Church sarcastically remarked.

"Nah. Winter's sexy as hell, but until she gets that stick up her ass removed, I ain't touching it." Weiss couldn't help but feel irritated. How shameless was this man, talking about her sister in such a way?! And right in front of her no less?! Now she understood why Winter said she hated this man with a passion. She really wanted to run him through with Myrtenaster. "Anyway, why don't you brats go settle on the ship? I need to have a talk with my nieces for a sec."

"Okie!" Nora grinned before she turned to the four girls. "We'll see you later!"

"Break some legs for us, yeah?" Yang smiled back. Nora nodded exubiantly before she and Ren went over to the Bullhead. Pyrrha bowed before the team before she followed after them, Maine trailing behind her as he waved them. Theta also appeared and waved excitedly before going to join the rest of them. "So, what's up, old man?"

"Hey, I'm not old yet, Firecracker." Qrow smirked as he threw a weak punch to her shoulder. "Heard you girls and your partners got into a hell of a fight. You okay?"

"We're fine." Blake assured him. "Still exhausted, though."

The scythe meister chuckled. "I bet. Wish me and my team got in on that kind of action. Then again, maybe for the best."

"You doing okay, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head. "You look kinda exhausted yourself. Was your trip that tiring?"

"Nah, I'm just... I'm just trying to ignore the fact that little blue Pixie sounds a LOT like your Dad."

"Tell me about it..." Yang sighed. "I've been trying to ignore it since the day he called Ruby a bitch."

"He's a meanie!" Ruby puffed her cheeks. "He's such a jerk too! Why's he gotta be so angry all the time?"

"Well, I've seen guys that act like him, and they're pretty much pessimistic assholes who get annoyed way too easily." Qrow shrugged. "But, that ain't anything new. Just make sure you don't overexert yourselves. Last thing I need is for Tai to come here and start freaking his shit out." The two sisters giggled, knowing full well that their father would do just that. He was a mother hen that way, but who could blame him? Ever since Raven left and Summer died, these two brats were all that he had left. Hell, even Qrow thought they were the only family he had, since Raven had more or less just gone back to the way she was. Part of him still wished that there was some of that woman who actually fell in love with that blonde idiot, and not whoever it was that was wearing that damned Grimm mask. "By the way, Firecracker."

"Yeah?"

"When I get back, we need to have a talk." Yang raised an eyebrow, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she nodded. Qrow wasn't exactly keen on discussing this with her, but he figured she was old enough to know the truth and make decisions for herself. For now, though, he had to focus on babysitting duty.

Hopefully he wouldn't drain his flask dry before these little shits annoyed him all to hell.

* * *

 _A response from the CEO of the SDC, Jacques Schnee_

 _Merlot,  
_ _I have told you once. And I will tell you again, until it finally becomes apparent in your mind._

 _I owe you NOTHING._

 _I admit, what I have done since achieving my position after Nicholas handed me the keys to his company has been nothing short of horrendous. I've received many complaints over the years about my working method, but what I have done, I have done for the sake of this Kingdom. And if history shall remember me a tyrant, then so be it.  
_ _We have crossed this bridge a long time ago, and I have long since burned it.  
_ _I refuse to associate myself with a madman who's so obsessed with Grimm that he'd damn the human race.  
_ _If you contact me again, you will find that I can do more than just bring down a company._

 **AN** : Hey everyone, it's been a while. Sorry about that. College and other real life stuff has been happening, so I've had less time on fanfiction.

Speaking of which, a fellow writer on the site contacted me and informed me that things on the site have been really, really weird. I'm sure a few of you have probably already experienced it, but for those who haven't, apparently if you check out an author's bio while logged in and don't erase any cookies you've got on your browser history or some shit, then your computer's gonna get fucked up.

Also, for those who have been bugging me about bringing up the fact that Taiyang and Church have the same voice actor: here is your response. The idea of Church sounding like their dad is disturbing enough. Add that to the fact that Church's an asshole, and you've got one headache.

And Qrow is now in on the action. And we're nearing the finishing line to finishing up Volume 2! What better way to end off Volume 2 of Metastability than by settling it with Grimm Eclipse's storyline?! Also, speaking of Grimm Eclipse, does anyone know when that update is supposed to hit? I heard that it's receiving a major update sometime this fall, but RT hasn't said when it'll drop.

Real talk, though. I'm kind of dissatisfied with this chapter. It feels...weak to me. I feel like I might have botched Qrow's characterization. Tell me what you guys think, and if it is that bad, I'll revise it. Qrow is one of my fav characters, and I'll be damned if I let him suffer horrible writing.

And for those of you who are wondering if Maine will get the STRIKER unit back, yes. Indeed he will.

Again, I'm sorry for the late update. Also, big thanks to my co-write Daemon of Wrath for helping me out. Before I finish this off, I have a new poll up on my page. Check it out and give it a vote if you're interested. I also have a new story up. For fans of JoJo and the webtoon unORDINARY, you may enjoy it!

Well, that's it for now.

 _See You!_


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